Two Worlds Collide
by Dash33
Summary: Santana is a waitress. Dani is an amazing musician. And when their worlds collide, the possibilities seem endless. (Do not own anything regarding Glee.)
1. Chapter 1

"Auntie Tana! You're the best! This is the best birthday ever!"

I watched my little cousin run around the living room freaking out about the Dani Lovato tickets I got her for her birthday.

"Dani Lovato is my favorite! I love her! Thank you!"

"No problem Squirt! I'll pick you up early and we can have dinner somewhere fancy," I explained, her excitement becoming contagious as she ran over to high five me.

"You spoil her, you know?" said my cousin Ana, looking up from where she made dinner.

"I know, but you've been like a sister to me and what kind of auntie would I be if I didn't," I said with a grin. "Plus, think of how many single moms and older sisters are going to be there!"

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you just admitted to using my kid to attract women and focus on your kindness," said Ana, rolling her eyes and making a face.

"It's Myka first, one hundred percent. She knows that," I smiled, as my eyes found my little cousin, jumping on the couch. "Anyway, I should probably get back to the diner. But make sure you dress her in something completely adorable for the show. I'll pick her up around 5pm."

Ana smiled and rolled her eyes, "you're too much."

"Bye Munchkin! I'll see you Wednesday!"

"Bye Auntie Tana! I can't wait!" said Myka, her arms open for a hug. I bent down to pick her up and returned the squeeze.

I turned and gave a quick wave to Ana, "love you guys!" I shouted before closing the door. Once outside, I popped my headphones in and scrolled through my list of music. When Dani Lovato slid up, I stopped, pushing play and her album cover appeared.

"Hmm, she's kinda cute," I thought out loud, "might as well learn some songs for Wednesday."

I walked the rest of the way to the diner listening to Dani Lovato's raspy voice. It definitely reassured me of the gift I had bought my niece.

"Hey," I said, greeting Rachel once I made it to work.

"Hi," she answered looking up from whatever Broadway magazine she was reading today. "So? Did she like it?"

"She loved it. She's super stoked to go! I'm excited to take her to her first concert," I said, putting my iPod away.

"Aww, that's cute. Not to mention all the ladies that'll be there right?" Rachel said, raising her eyebrows.

"Rachel, please. I would never use my niece like that," I said, being serious.

Rachel stared me down. I tried to hold onto the look I was giving her.  
"Okay, fine! I'm super hyped about being surrounded by screaming women."

"Imagine being Dani Lovato. Women want to be her, women want to date her and she's constantly surrounded by them."

"Speaking of Miss Lovato, have you listened to her stuff? It's pretty good."

"I have, I love her stuff. She's quite the girl," said Rachel, going back to her magazine.

I looked down at what she was reading until I was called to the kitchen by Gunther. I was put on dish duty and as much as that irritated me, I was kind of happy. Being stuck in the back, I could put my earphones back in and just be by myself with the music.

I was half way through Dani's new album and in my own little world when a hand on my shoulder scared the hell out of me.

"Sorry, I didn't realize how into the music you were. What are you listening to?" asked Kurt, he moved closer after realizing I wasn't going to hit him.

"Dani Lovato," I answered.

"Oh, she's pretty good. She's so real and raw. I love listening to her stuff," he answered, cleaning a dish beside me.

"Yeah, I didn't realize how emotional her music is. Definitely not the kid channel vibe my niece has made me watch."

"Hells no, she hasn't been on there in years. N' honey, wait til ya see her. Whew. If I didn't like my broaches so much, I'd be all over that," said Kurt out of the side of his mouth.

"Really? I thought she was like a kid, no?"

"Nooo, do you live under a rock?" He asked pulling out his phone, "no, you live in the greatest city ever! How do you not know this?" He handed me his phone. When I turned it right side up, I was staring down at a gorgeous woman. She had dark, fierce eyes; they said nothing and everything about her at once.

"Wow," I mumbled.

"Right?" said Kurt, taking his phone back and going through the pictures he had found. "I'm kind of jealous I'm not going with you with Wednesday!"

Wednesday had arrived much faster than I had anticipated. I had an early shift at the diner and it was dragging like it was its job. I woke up with a funny feeling in my stomach and took a couple cold pills hoping it wouldn't get worse. However, throughout my shift, I would get a funny fluttering and couldn't tell what it was. Rachel noticed and joined me at the counter.

"Hey, you okay? You look funny," she asked, looking concerned.

"I'm fine, just a weird feeling in my stomach."

"I hear that bug is going around."

"Yeah? Like a light, fluttering feeling?" I asked, getting worried.

"No, like you want to 'barf up your last five meals feeling'. You're light and fluttery? Like butterflies?" Rachel asked, a smirk growing on her face.

"What? No," I said, making a face.

"I think so! You're nervous about tonight! Nervous and excited!" she said, clapping almost as excited as my niece was the last time I saw her.

"No, that's crazy. What would I be nervous for?" I had been playing situations where I 'accidentally' run into Dani and we run away together, but I wouldn't be caught dead telling Rachel Berry about them.

Rachel lifted her eyebrows again playfully as she walked away, "you never know. We are in the city of dreams!"

"Isn't that Los Angeles?" I called after her.

"I'm not nervous, that's ridiculous," I told myself. Although, I could feel the stinky, panic sweats forming under my boobs.  
"Dammit."

The rest of my shift continued to drag and apparently I wasn't the only one who thought so. Around 1:30pm, I received a text from Ana.

Your niece would like to know if this day could move any slower. I believe it was followed by a very muffled "dammit", which I'm blaming you for.

I smiled to myself while I replied, I knew she heard me say it a couple times the last time I was babysitting.

After my shift, I rushed home to shower and get ready. I must have tried every style of hair I could think of; finally, I just left it down. As I stood in front of my closet, growing more frustrated, I realized I was letting Berry get to me.

"I love meeting new people. Dating isn't that hard. What's the worst that could happen? I'm being crazy. I'm Santana Lopez and the bitches love me."  
I grabbed the next dress I saw and threw it on with my heels. Giving myself a once over, I went to the kitchen to find my roommates.

"Is this appropriate to wear out with my niece?" I asked, standing in front of them.

"Well, it's a little short," started Rachel.

"But she doesn't want all those single ladies to assume she's mama bear," offered Kurt. "You look hot. Work it."

I flashed them my confident smile, suddenly feeling the crazy fall from my mind and my game face coming back. I've been in New York for almost a year and I've only dated a couple girls. It's time to get serious. I grabbed my purse, laughed at the whistles from Berry and Lady Hummel and headed out.

When I picked Myka up, her mom was more than happy to get her out of the house. Her excitement had doubled since she left school and tripled since the last time I saw her. I was happy to see her this excited. Music has always been important to me so taking her to her first concert meant a lot.

"Okay kiddo, you ready? I'm starving!" I said, taking her hand and moving towards the door.

"I'm so ready! Let's do this," she squealed.

"Hey! What about me? Come, give me some sugar!" teased Ana.

Myka ran back and gave her a big hug. Ana picked her up and walked towards the door.

"Don't lose your Auntie. You know how she is."

"I won't. I'll hold her hand," Myka smiled at me.

"And no b-a-d words! She's like a sponge!"

"I won't! Well, I'll try," I grinned back at my cousin.

"Okay, have fun! Try not to keep her out too late," hollered Ana, as we walked down their front steps.

"I'll do my best!" I yelled back.

"I was talking to Myka!"

I shook my head; Myka's smile causing me to laugh as well.

"I thought we'd never get out of there!" I joked as we strolled down the busy, late afternoon streets. "Where should we eat?"

"I want French fries!"

"Well that narrows it down," I replied, rolling my eyes. I decided the diner would be the best place. Throwing fancy to the wind, we walked through the front door and were greeted by Kurt.

"Hi Kurt!" said Myka, running to him.

"Hey Sweetie! Wow, look at how big you're getting!" he said, swinging her around.

We took our seats and ordered food. Kurt came to talk to us when he could, but as the dinner rush filtered in, the conversation turned to first grade gossip and Dani Lovato. As my little niece rambled on about her favorite songs and which ones she hoped to hear, my thoughts drifted to the talented singer; there was just something about her.

"Right Auntie? It's called the Neon Lights Tour! She has to sing it, right?"

Her questions pulled me back from my thoughts, "what? Oh, yeah. Totally." I checked my watch. "Holy Munchkin, we have to get going! The show starts at 7!"

We grabbed our stuff and paid at the front. Outside, we flagged a cab and hurried down to the event. Traffic was crazy; I was worried we'd miss part of the show. I remembered there was a back door we could use from when I was handing out resumes. I directed the cabbie around to the back entrance. We jumped out and looking at my watch, realized we had made good time.

"Auntie Tana, can we get slushies' before we go in?"

"Sure Kiddo, let's do it."

We crossed the street to the slushy vendor and ordered a red and a blue slushy. The cup was almost the size of Myka's head. I stopped to take a picture to send to her mother with a text that said, "What Auntie wouldn't buy her niece a giant cup of sugar!" Laughing to myself, I held Myka's hand as we crossed the road. As I glanced down the street I saw a tour bus. Not knowing if it belonged to Dani or not, I knew Myka would go crazy.

"Myk! Check it out! It's someone's tour bus!"

Her face lit up the second she saw it, "oh my gosh! Do you think it's Dani's?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "let's go take a picture and we'll tell everyone it was anyways!"

She smiled and ran over. We took a couple selfies in front of the bus before heading down the side of the building to get to the front.

"Wouldn't it be cool if we met her?" Myka asked as we watched our footing over cords.

"So cool!" I smiled down at her.

"Do you think she would sign my-" Myka was cut off at the same time a door opened in front of us. Taking her eyes away from what was in front of her, Myka tripped over a cord and let go of her slushy. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes when she saw red slushy all over her Dani Lovato tee.

"Hey Myk! Come here, are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked, scared she had hit her head or something equally horrific that her mother would kill me for.

"N-no, but l-look at my s-shirt," she managed through sobs, I knelt down and tried to wipe away the few drops on her. There actually wasn't that much considering how big the cup was.

"Excuse me?"

I heard the voice from behind me and turned to see a woman wearing the rest of the red drink.

"Dammit," I said under my breath.

"Hey! Mama said no swearing," Myka reminded me, quietly through whimpers.

"Hey, sorry about that," I said.

I stood and began digging in my purse for pen to write my address so I could be forwarded the dry cleaning bill. "She tripped when you creepily appear- shut the front door," I mumbled, as I felt my mouth drop.

"Auntie! Auntie!"

I looked back at Myka who was shyly standing beside me, pulling on my hand and pointing at the stranger who joined us in the alley.

"That's Dani Lovato," she whispered, stepping behind me. I looked back at the woman, who was smiling and wiping the slushy off her pants and jacket.

"I can't believe this," I muttered to myself.

"Sorry?" asked Dani, tilting her head never loosing her smile.

"O-oh, I said I'm so sorry. I was going to offer to have that dry cleaned but I'm assuming you won't be in town that long," I stuttered, losing confidence by the second.

"What, this old thing?" she asked pointing at her jacket. "It's fine." She knelt down to Myka's level.

"Hey Cutie! What's your name?"

Myka's eyes grew huge as she looked up at me for permission. I nodded, since I was struggling myself with words.

"Myka."

"Myka, that's a very pretty name. I'm sorry I wrecked your shirt. But you know what? I think I have something just your size in my trailer. If it's okay with your mom, we could run and get it."

"She's my aunt. Auntie Tana."

Dani stood back up, a little closer now from talking with my niece.

"Tana, it's nice to meet you," she replied, extending her hand, her voice sounding just as raspy as her records.

I reached out to shake, "it's actually Santana. It's nice to meet you as well."

"I have another shirt she can have. I'd hate for her to be sticky for the next couple of hours," said Dani, pointing to her trailer.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I'm sure you're busy doing concerty thing-"

"I insist."

Dani started heading back to her trailer and Myka was pulling my hand following behind her.

"It is her bus!" she whispered, excitedly.

Overhearing, Dani looked back, "have you already checked out my home away from home?"

Myka nodded.

"It's not too bad, right? It's not the same as home though."

"Why?" asked my niece, being her normal six-year-old self, clearly not as star struck as I was feeling.

Dani knelt down in front of her trailer before opening the door; "I'll let you in on a secret."

Myka let go of my hand and moved closer, "my bed at home is way bigger and has a lot more stuffed animals on it."

Myka grinned ear from ear. Dani was not at all like the stars I read about. She was humble and caring. This little scene that was unfolding in front of me was melting my heart a little. I tried to gather my wits as Dani stood again and opened her trailer door.

"After you Myka," she said, with a gesture like a door person. Myka smiled and ran right in.

"Uh, Myka! Wait! I'm sorry, she's so excited to be here," I tried to explain.

"It's no problem at all. She's adorable," smiled Dani, still holding the door. We held each other's eyes for a brief moment before the thought of Myka ran sacking this beautiful trailer played in my mind. I went to step up, forgetting I was wearing heels, Dani offered her hand.

"It's a big step," she said, helping me in.

"T-thanks." I could feel my face flushing and the panic sweats coming back. Luckily, the trailer was nicely air-conditioned.

"Okay! One wee shirt coming up!" said Dani, walking to the back.

Myka looked at me and held her tiny fists in the air, as her excitement was no longer controllable. I laughed, seeing her so hyped up. Dani returned with a pink tee shirt.

"This should fit huh?" she asked, holding it up against Myka, who was nodding excitedly. Dani reached behind her on to the table to grab a sharpie.

"How do you spell Myka Cutie?" Dani looked at her, pulling the lid off with her teeth.

My niece rhymed off her name and watched as her favorite singer signed her name and a message.

"Here ya go! Why don't you run into the bathroom and switch them?" said Dani, pointing to the bathroom door. Myka smiled and ran to the bathroom.

"Thanks again, so much. This is making her year, you have no idea," I said, still feeling bad that the pop stars clothes were still covered in slushy. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do," I asked, pointing at her jacket, "I feel horrible."

"No. Not at all, it was totally my fault; I didn't think anyone would be out there. They have tons of things to throw on me," she smiled at me again; I felt my knees go weak.

Oh boy, I thought to myself. Thankfully Myka came bounding out of the bathroom, she was a welcome distraction from the hypnotic smile.

"That fits perfect!" laughed Dani.

"Thank you. It's my favorite color!" giggled Myka.

"Good, I'm glad. Well, I should probably head back. I'm sure you have an uncle who's looking for you guys," suggested Dani, sneaking one more look at me.

"Nope, it's just me and Auntie Tana and she likes girls, right Auntie?" said Myka casually, looking down at her freshly signed shirt.

"Um," I shook my head, not sure what to say next. "Yeah, we should find our seats Kiddo and let Miss Lovato get ready."

Dani smirked at my flustered state, seeing this made me laugh a little myself. I ran a hand through my hair.

"Please, let me pay for your dry cleaning, it's the least I can do for all your kindness," I insisted.

"Absolutely not. But maybe you could do me a favor?" asked Dani.

"Sure, name it," I said, figuring it couldn't possibly get any worse.

"Will you join me for an after party? I always get roped into making an appearance. I'm sure it'd be much better with some company."

I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a brief second. I looked at Myka then back at Dani. As if reading my mind, Dani spoke once again.

"I can get my driver to take you guys to drop off Myka while I tie up loose ends and then I can meet you?" she suggested.

I couldn't say no. I'm pretty sure my niece wrecked her expensive jacket, plus I just got invited to an after party with Dani Lovato.

"S-sure. Yeah, that sounds good. Um, okay," I stumbled on my words, heading for the door.

"Santana?"

"Yes?" I turned back and was face to face with those fierce, dark eyes.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Dani, leaning in close.

"Um...no, I don't...I don't think so," I could smell her perfume. It was perfect and making my head spin.

Dani looked towards her table, where Myka sat quietly flipping a Teen Vogue featuring Dani.

"Oh my god! Myka! C'mon!" My heart leapt for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Dani was smirking when I looked back, I sighed and smiled starting to laugh, we headed outside.

"Oh wait!" called Dani, hanging out her trailer door. I walked back to meet her. She grabbed my hand and wrote a number in pink pen. "Call this number when you guys are ready to go. He'll meet you back here."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

She winked and called out as we walked back to the front doors, "see you soon."


	2. Chapter 2

We walked back down to the main street entrance where people were still filing into the stadium. After making it through the ticket checks, we found our seats.

"Wow. This place is full eh?" I said, looking down at Myka who was taking it all in. She nodded. I debated calling Rachel or Kurt but I figured most of the phone call would be spent listening to the two of the shriek and giggle on the other end. The fluttering returned to my stomach. Luckily the lights began to dim, I just needed to get my mind off it.

Myka looked up at me, grinning. I smiled back at her and picked her up so she could see better. The opening group was pretty good and full of energy, but no where near as crazy as the female rapper after them. Myka was standing on her chair trying to spit the same beats. She had her little hand spinning on her imaginary table and everything. I took pictures not wanting to miss a second. Eventually the lights dimmed even more and the crowd got even louder. For the first time, Myka seemed a little concerned. She stood still, looking around with her hands on her ears. I leaned down once more and picked her up, I pointed towards the stage and gave her a quick hug as she watched what happened next. Bright lights began flashing from every direction, when they all centred in the middle of the stage, the music stopped and her voice took over the stadium. She started with Myka's favourite song, Neon Lights. I put Myka back down on her chair so she could dance. We both danced and clapped our hands as we watched the beautiful Dani Lovato rock the stage.

I couldn't tell if it was my imagination or fate, but I could have sworn that Dani kept looking in our direction. Every time she waved my stomach did flip flops. Myka was waving back like they were best friends. I tried to focus on the music instead of the energetic blonde jumping around on stage. I didn't know much about her, but she could make an entire stadium laugh between songs. Her guitar and piano playing were the most beautiful things I have heard in awhile. The emotion flowed through her and into the sounds that seemed to wrap themselves around me.  
It felt like the show was over before we knew it and Myka wasn't the only one who wished it wasn't over. Watching Dani on stage seemed so natural, she really belonged up there and I couldn't take my eyes off her. As the stadium shuffled out, I looked down at where the number was scribbled. I had debated bailing out all show, but when I looked down again, I noticed the little heart under the number. The feeling in my stomach immediately intensified, the flutter and lightness, and I looked down at Myka who looked exhausted.

"Hey bud," I said, lifting her up out of the crowd, "let's get out of here."  
As I navigated through the crowd, I felt Myka rest her head against my shoulder as she held on. I found the alley we had come down and looked around. It was much darker now then before the concert. I stood there contemplating what to do. I couldn't take Myka into an unsafe place. I could only see the lights at the end. I looked at my hand once more, and sadly, turned to start walking. I wasn't very far from the the alley when a large limo pulled up. I stopped, holding onto my sleeping niece. The back window rolled down and Dani stuck her head out.

"I hope my music didn't do that," she said, her grin growing.

"Oh, this?" I asked pointing to Mkya, "yeah, she didn't like it at all."

Dani's face grew the most serious I had seen all night.

"I'm just kidding. I think it was all the dancing we did, trying to keep up. It was a great show," I replied, rubbing Myka's back.

"Need a lift?" she asked, her amazing smile returning to its spot.

I smiled back at her and she called us over with a nod as she got out of the car to hold the door. I placed Myka in first and crawled around to sit on her other side. Dani got back in, sitting on my nieces other side. I reached around to put Myka's seatbelt on but couldn't find the holder. My hand brushed against Dani's leg and she looked down.

"Here," she said, trying to help. As I moved my hand, it caught in Dani's. She bit her lower lip and I pulled my hand away, I tried to fix my hair as a way to occupy my hands and thoughts. The driver looked back and I told him the address to my cousins.

"So she liked it?" asked Dani, as we pulled out into traffic.

"She loved it. It was her first concert and I think it'll be hard to beat," I said with a smile.

"Did you...like it?" Dani asked, tilting her head to play with her pony tail.

"It was okay," I grinned.

"Hmm, guess I'll have to give you a private encore," said Dani, confidently.

I was definitely blushing and Dani could see it, even in the dark limo. The effect this girl was having on me was crazy. I had never been this far out of my element. The driver pulled around the corner to Ana's.

"You must be tired after a huge show like that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

"Actually, I'm wide awake. The energy of the crowd stays with me for hours. It's crazy the feeling you get from standing up there," she was beaming.

"I remember that feeling," I said, feeling reminiscent of my days on a stage.

"You sing?"

"Used to. I loved it. It's just harder out here, coming from a small town and everything. It's a little overwhelming," I said, surprised at my own honesty. Myka had curled into my side and I pulled her closer. When we pulled up in front of the house, Ana stepped outside and was standing on the porch. Dani got out first and was waiting to offer a hand. My cousin made a face, as if she recognized the face put couldn't place it. I got out and tried to daintily lift Myka from the car. I was suddenly very aware of how short my dress was. I lifted her back up on my hip and turned to Dani, "I'll just be a second."

"Take your time."

I started walking towards my cousin, mouthing the words "oh my god." Ana got the hint and opened the door to the house. I stepped inside and took Myka right to her bed. Once I got her shoes off and the blankets around her, I joined Ana back in the kitchen.

"Is that?" said Ana, pointing towards the street.

"Dani Freakin' Lovato? Yeah, it is! Can you believe this? How is this happening right now?" I squealed, sounding like my niece.

"How did this happen?"

"That cute little bugger of yours spilt her slushy all over her! It was probably the best moment of my life!"

"So why is she in my driveway?"

"Well, I offered to dry clean her clothes, but since she's not in town long enough, I'm going to keep her company at an after party she has to attend," I said, casually.

Ana's mouth hung open. "No. But seriously, why is she in my driveway?"

"Seriously," I said, grabbing a piece of gum from the counter, "guess I shouldn't keep her waiting."

Ana followed me to the front door and stepped outside. Dani was leaning against the car talking to the driver. She turned when I walked up.

"Ready?" she asked.

"I think so," I mumbled as I got back into the limo.

"Bye! Have a good time," called my cousin from the porch.

"Bye! Your daughter is adorable, by the way! Have a good night," waved Dani.

"Sorry, I think she was more excited than Myka and her tickets," I said, rolling my eyes.

Dani laughed, "that's okay. I wouldn't have expected this either."

"What were you doing in the alley anyway?" I asked, "shouldn't you have had a gaggle of security around you?"

Dani turned in her seat before she answered, "I like to sneak away to collect my thoughts before a show. You know, to get in the state of mind."

"I totally get it. I used to do the same thing," I said, "isn't that kind of dangerous though? Leaving by yourself?"

"Only if you're scared of slushies'', I guess," grinned the blonde.

"Right."

"I'm totally kidding. I wore the pants the entire show, they smelt like strawberries," she smiled.

"Hmm, and here I thought that was your perfume," I grinned back. We held each other's gaze for a moment. I don't know how she did it but she was able to kick my butterflies into second gear with just a look.

Not far from the stadium, we had stopped in front of a club.  
"Okay, we're here. There will be a ton of cameras and flashes. When you get out of the car get your balance and let your eyes adjust before you take a step. Once we get through the entrance, it'll be over," she said, sweetly smiling like it would be a walk in the park. Dani clearly noticed the slight panic that had surfaced. I was watching the reporters outside, they were yelling and screaming and throwing their cameras up to claim their next shots.

"We'll be fine, I'll be with you the whole time," she said, placing her hand over mine. I looked into her eyes and the strength I saw within them was enough to convince me.

The driver came around and opened the door for us. Dani got out and turned to offer me a hand out. The flashes from the cameras immediately blinded me and I felt Dani move closer still holding my hand. I stopped and took my breath, waiting for the moment that Dani would let go of my hand, yet it didn't come.  
I smiled and took a breath, eventually my eyes did adjust and I could see the sea of reporters. I followed Dani's lead along the carpet, stopping when she did and offering a wave. We finally made it through the doors and into an empty lobby.

Dani looked up,"it's not so bad right? Although, I don't how you walked yourself in those heels; I can usually tough those out for a song or two then I'm back in my converse."

"Well, I couldn't imagine having those people surrounding you all the time. That must take a toll," I asked, straightening my dress.

"You get used to it," she replied.

I smiled at the easiness that Dani had in opening up. It wasn't weird like first dates can be. Not that this was a date. Or was it? Did I want it to be? Oh no, I'm rambling, I thought to myself.

"Okay, just a little mingling to put up with and then we can get out of here. Sound good?"

"Yes," I grinned, "sounds good."

She pulled open the doors and the DJ announced her name causing everyone to turn and applaud her. She smiled her big smile and waved, followed by a cute courtesy. I stepped to the side while everyone surrounded her and congratulated her on a great show. As I watched, a waiter offered me a glass of champagne, someone next to Dani stood on a chair and made a speech.

"To Dani! For another amazing show and to many, many more!"

Everyone held up their drinks and toasted in her honor. As I watched from the side, I was amazed at how gracious and breath taking she was. I felt my face flush as she snuck a look my way; she smiled and held her glass up. I raised my glass in return and took a sip. The same guy that made the speech pulled her away and I lost sight of her. I wandered over to the stage where her many guitars were on display, many of which she used during the show. There was one guitar she had seemed to favor during the show but I couldn't find it here.

"I keep that one in the back."

I turned around to see the Dani walking towards me.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"It was my first. It's been with me through the good times and the bad," she shrugged, "I don't know what I'd do without it."

"I'd like to see it sometime, if that's okay," I mentioned, looking a little closer at another guitar.

"I'm sure we could make that happen," said Dani, moving closer. "See that chip right there?" She pointed at a guitar that was missing a chunk from it.

"Mhmm," I nodded, looking closely and trying to distract myself from the warmth of the woman next to me.

"One of my first shows of my first tour, I played a verse and I mean, I rocked it out on the guitar," she grinned at the memory. "Then I swung it on to my back to belt out the next verse and when I swung it, the strap broke. It went flying," she started laughing, which made me laugh.

"What did you do?"

"I kept singing like nothing happened and when the song finished, one of the stage guys came out and picked it up and stood there looking at me not sure what to do with it. I was like 'oh, yeah, that's mine. Thanks!'"

I was laughing so hard by the way she was telling the story, I had tears in my eyes and she was laughing just as hard.

"You're amazing," I sighed, trying to catch my breath.

She looked down, then back at me, "want to get out of here?"

I looked around at all the people still crowding in the room, "are you sure? There seems to be a lot of people still here."

"Yeah, they're here for business. I don't do the business side," she moved closer and whispered in my ear, "plus I'm starving."

I smiled, "okay."

She grabbed my hand once more and pulled me through the back.  
"If we sneak out this way, no will miss us. Do you mind walking a bit?" She asked looking down at my heels.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine," I said.

We stepped out into the night air and began our walk.

"Every time I come to this city, I have a bit of a tradition. I usually do it by myself to relax. But it'll be nice to have company this time," she explained. She looked over at me and notice the goose bumps that had formed on my bare arms.

"Here," she said, taking off her jacket and helping me into it, "although I have to warn you, I had this cute kid and her pretty aunt throw a slushy on me before the show."

I looked at her shocked, but relax once I saw her smile, "you're kidding?" I asked, playfully, nudging her with my shoulder as we walked.

"Yeah, might have been the best part of my night actually."

I smiled at the memory and the confession.

"So where are we going?" I asked, trying to control my excitement.

"There's this little diner up and around the corner. They have wicked good food and their staff sings. And you can watch the sun rise as it bring it to life," Dani stopped when she looked over at me.

I didn't realize that my face had given away my feelings. I didn't really want her to know I worked at the diner. It was times like this I wish I had a more glamorous job.

"Am I rambling? Sometimes I do that when I'm nervous," she admitted.

"No, no. It's just," she stopped walking and waited for me to finish.

"I work there," I confessed.

Her face lit up, "you're kidding! So you've seen it and know what I'm talking about!"

The fact that I worked in a singing diner didn't even faze her. She seemed a little excited about it even. This girl was constantly surprising me.

"I've actually never seen it," I admitted.

"Perfect. We can watch it together," she said, stepping closer and taking my hand. We walked into the diner and Gunther came around the corner.

"Gunther!" yelled Dani!

"Dani! So good to see ya, yes?" he walked over to shake her hand. He showed her to her favourite booth and said he'd be right back, not before sending me a shady side glance.

My boss knows Dani and I had no heads up?  
"Gunther, what the hell?" I mumbled under my breath. I turned around to find Dani watching me.

"Hey," I said, making my way to the booth.

"Hey," she replied, patting the seat next to her, "best seat in the house."

I smiled and slid in next to her.

"It just goes from dark to glowing," she said, waiting in anticipation. Gunther returned and brought out French fries and chocolate milk.

"Don't judge me," she laughed, as she put two straws in the drink.

"It soothes my throat after a show, even though I know it's not good for singing," she pushed it towards me.

I took a sip. She smiled at me with wide eyes.

"Amazing, right? They have the best chocolate milk!"

"It tastes like normal chocolate milk," I laughed.

"No, see you just don't taste bad chocolate milk because you have the unbelievable opportunity to drink this richness everyday!" Dani said, pointing at the glass and shrugging, "I'm jealous."

"I'll be sure to mail you some to the tour bus," I joked.

"I'm going to hold you to that!"

We laughed and picked at the food until Dani sat up and touched my arm.

"It's happening," she whispered. I looked at her hand on my arm. Her touch was different than anyone else's. She started humming the Beatles song, Here Comes the Sun.

Dani was right, I had never noticed it before but the diner lit up like a candle as the sun came in over the building. The new day was here. It was a little bitter sweet since I knew she would need to sleep sooner or later.

Seconds later, she stood up from the booth and motioned for us to head out. She had got that song stuck in my head and I found myself humming it.

We skipped the ride back to the tour bus and enjoyed the walk together. The streets were still fairly empty. Dani talked a little about her tour, saying she had another show in New Jersey tonight and then farther away for the weekend. When she spoke of her music, her whole self went into it and she was glowing with pride, yet she was still so humble. It was refreshing.

"What?" she asked, catching me smung to myself.

"Nothing. It's just different being around you," I said.

"Good different?" she stopped and asked.

"Very good different. I had a really amazing time tonight," I said, honestly.

"Me too. Thanks for coming," her smile was infectious.  
"Well, this is where I get off," she said, looking at her huge bus.

"So, I guess this is goodbye?" I asked.

She moved closer, "for now."

She placed a quick kiss on my lips before pulling away and heading into her trailer.

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face even if I tried. I turned to walk to the bus and the driver pulled up beside me.

"Miss Lovato would like me to see that you get home okay," he said, sounding professional but grinning at the same time.

I looked back at the bus and noticed the blinds were now down. I smiled and got in. The ride home made my night seem like a dream. I would wake up between dreams of being at the diner working and with Dani. When we pulled up in front of our loft, I went to get out but was called back by the driver.

"Ah miss?" he said, holding a pink pen. I was confused and walked around to his window. "Miss Lovato wanted me to give you this."

Although he said he was going to give me something, he made no effort to hand anything over. Instead, he held out his hand and took mine in his. This was getting very weird, very fast. Then he took the pen and wrote a number complete with a heart on my hand. I pulled my hand back and looked at it. It was different from the drivers number Dani had written the day before.

"Whose number is this?" I asked.

"I was only told to write ma'am and oh," he said, pulling my hand back. Using the same pink pen, he wrote a quick 'xox'. He smiled and tipped his hat and pulled away from the road.

I looked at my number again. Is this Dani's number? The smile that had disappeared during the creepy, cryptic driver conversation instantly reappeared and I realized I was still wearing the pop star's jacket that smelt amazing. 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you're liking it! ****  
**

I was standing in front of the sliding front door of our loft looking for my keys.

"Dammit," I mumbled, cursing my messy purse.

I was just about to dump the contents when the door slid open.

"Did you pick up a limo driver?" asked Kurt, "and then sleepover in said limo?"  
He was standing there holding a steaming cup of tea, wrapped in a blanket with his perfect eyebrows flexing up and down. I wanted to be my usual snarky self since he was spying on me but I was in such a good mood; I just smiled and walked in.

"Details! I want all the dirty lesbian details! Well…maybe not all the details," he said, thinking about it and scrunching his nose up.

"Unicorn, you wouldn't believe it if I told you," I said, finding my phone before this number was unreadable.

"Try me. You went to a Dani Lovato concert with your niece, who I'm hoping got home safely," he interrupted himself looking around for Myka. "And then you show up at six in the morning crawling out of a limo? Spill."

"If I told you I think this is Dani's number, what would you say?" I asked, holding up my hand.

"I'd say for such a sweet girl, she can't draw hearts to save her life."

I made a face and pulled my hand back. I looked at once again.

"I went out Dani Lovato last night."

Kurt stared at me before bursting with laughter, "yeah! And I'm actually a unicorn, San."

"Seriously, look," I pulled up pictures of the concert on my phone. There was one of Dani wearing her slushy stained jacket that was now sitting on the back of our kitchen chair.  
"I told you, you wouldn't believe me," I said, pointing at the jacket.

Kurt's mouth fell open.

"Oh my god! How did that happen?"

"Sit down. It's a long and amazing story."

I woke up late in the afternoon. Luckily, I didn't have to work today. I rolled over to grab my phone. I had a missed call from Ana and messages from the Olson Twins.

I listened to the message from Ana.

"Hey! Just thought I'd call to say your niece called in sick to school. Good to see you're rubbing off on her in a positive way." I laughed, thinking that Myka really was a mini version of me. "Actually, I really called to see how it went with Dani Lovato! I still can't believe she asked you out! Anyway, call me later."

"Why wouldn't she ask me out?" I asked myself, "oh yeah, because she's freakin' Dani Lovato!"

I rolled out of bed and could hear Kurt and Rachel talking in the kitchen. I was going to need a cup of coffee before dealing with this. I slipped into the bathroom and washed my face. When I came back out, Rachel was standing in front of me with coffee.

"Good morning Santana," she said, in her usual cheery voice.

I shielded my eyes from her grin.

"What do you want Berry? This is early for me, I thought we discussed this," I mumbled on my way to join them at the table.

"Well, Kurt filled me in on you're late night festivities and I just wanted to hear from you! Please, tell me everything! I'm so excited!" She clapped, letting her excitement escape.

I couldn't help but smile as I recalled my night.

"It kind of feels like a dream," Rachel's squeals made me realize I said that out loud.

"Oh my god! You're so cute! So have you called her?"

"Cute…what are you talking about?" I murmured, trying to keep my feelings in check and using my tough girl act to hide it.

"No, it was less than twenty four hours ago. I can't call already, I'll look like some crazy fan or desperate," I reasoned.

"That's a myth," replied Kurt. "Love doesn't have rules. You're supposed to do what's right when it feels right."

"Thanks for that, Lady Hummel. I feel all gooey inside now," I said, tossing him a small grin.

"I'm just saying, if you wait too long you might miss out on a chance to meet a really nice girl," he said.

"A 'really nice' girl? Yeah, who's famous and talented and beautiful and funny," I stopped listing her qualities when I saw my roommates beaming back at me.  
"And completely out of my league. She probably just needs a quick lay while she's in the state of New York."

"A quick lay? Have you not listened to any of her music?" asked Rachel.

"Well, I did see her show," I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, but have you actually listened to the lyrics? She talks about love and romance and heartbreak. I don't think Dani Lovato is a hit it and quit it kind of girl," she argued.

I thought about what Rachel was saying. It made me smile to hear Rachel say 'hit it and quit it', but then what she was saying began to sink in. Then why did Dani give me her number? She actually wants to get to know someone like me? A nobody? A waitress at her favorite restaurant? There's no way.

I looked back at my roommates who were both staring at me trying to read my thoughts.

"There's no way," I shook my head.

"Why don't you just text her?" suggested Kurt, "use the jacket as an excuse. It's perfect really."

I looked down at my hand with her faded number on it. The heart could have been a signature of sorts, but the 'xox', that was another story. It was like a double rainbow. I'm super excited to see it, but what does it mean?

"You know, this all could be in my head and this number could be that creepy limo drivers number and he could just want to-"

"Don't finish that sentence. This is such a cute story. Why can't you admit that maybe she actually likes you. She seems like a smart girl. Who would pass on getting to know someone like you? Not a smart girl," said Rachel, placing her hand on my arm.

"You're right, she's a smart girl," I said, picking up my phone and staring at it. I blew out a big breath.

"Okay, it's just a text. I'll tell her I'm getting her jacket cleaned and...ask where I can ship it to," I said, it sounds believable.

I must have wrote the 140 characters five hundreds times before settling on the final text message.

Hey Dani,  
I just wanted to let you know I'm getting your jacket cleaned. I'll ship it to wherever you are this weekend.  
Xxo

"This is okay right? It's good?" I said, pushing my phone across to Kurt and Rachel.

"Looks good to me," said Kurt, he hit send.

"Did you just send that? Oh my god, I wasn't ready. That wasn't good. It wasn't cute or sexy! Dammit," I began mumbling.

I saw Kurt and Berry exchange glances but I was too worried about the text.

"You're scared! I've never seen you scared! It's adorable," said Rachel.

"I can't deal with this. I'm going for a shower," I said, walking away from my phone. I wasn't even to the bathroom door before it signaled a message. It stopped me dead in my tracks. I turned around and stared at it along with Kurt and Rachel who were also frozen.

"Who's it from?" I asked, scared to look myself.

"That number," whispered Kurt.

I took a couple steps back towards the table. I saw the number briefly before my screen turned black once more. I let out a breath and picked it up.

"Okay, what's the worst it can say?" I ask, out loud.

"Well," started Rachel, before Kurt nudged her with his elbow. I looked up at them once more.

I swiped the lock button and waited for the message to appear. Reading it, I felt my mouth drop once again. I fell on to my chair staring at the message.

"What's it say!" asked Rachel.

I couldn't even speak. This was the 'worst it could say' scenario.

"Dani? It's Clive, the driver.  
I was hoping I could pick ya up again," Kurt looked at me after reading it out loud. "Winkie face."

"Oh my god," I moaned into my arms, leaning on the table, "why do I listen to you guys!"

"I mean, he seems nice," said Rachel, looking between her friends.

"Great. You text him back then," I said. I got up to go to the shower again and like clock work, my phone signaled a new message.

I stopped and crossed my arms, leaning against the wall. They both were looking between the phone and me.

"G' 'head. Answer it," I said, gesturing to the phone.

Rachel picked it up and read it. She quickly started fanning herself.

"What? Is he getting steamy already? What a perv!" I said, making a face.

"I'm totally kidding. It's me, Dani. I'm happy you text. You really don't have to worry about my jacket, but thank you. I was actually wondering if you'd like to come to my show tonight in Jersey!" Rachel was pretty much wetting herself with excitement. I could only stare at them.

"It says that?" I whispered. Kurt got up and moved me back over to my chair.

"This is amazing! You have to go," said Rachel.

"This is c-crazy," I stuttered.

"You need to answer. You're breaking polite texting rules," said Kurt, sliding the phone over to me.

I stared at the phone for what seemed like hours. I must have reread the message over and over trying to find something to say. Finally, Kurt grabbed my phone wrote something and handed it back to me.

"Geez, what would you two do without me?" he asked, taking a sip of his tea.

**Thanks for toying with my emotions. I'd love to come tonight. I'd like to see you again.**

"That sounds cheesy as hell," I said, as I reread the message.

"I'd add a smiley, but it's cute," said Rachel.

**Great! Hopefully I can convince you to another after party without the use of a slushy this time. I'll send 4 tickets, feel free to bring people, and Clive will be there in an hour. Try not to make it awkward. Lol**

I smiled at the last bit and debated telling the Winklevii twins about the extra tickets. But considering they were both still staring at me with excitement like they were getting the messages, I figured I'd better.

"So, do you guys have plans tonight? She may or may not be sending four tickets."

Before I could look up, I had four arms cascading around me. I assumed from the shrieking happening, they had no plans.

"Okay, we're being picked up in an hour," as the words left my mouth, I realized we only had one bathroom and made a mad dash. Luckily, beating them both.

I called Ana quick to fill her in and ask her to come. She said she wouldn't be able to find a babysitter but to have fun. The thought of how much fun I was about to have made the smile from last night return, not that it ever really left.

Considering the amount of space shared between three people, we all managed to be ready with five minutes to spare. As planned, Clive arrived on time and was out to open the door the minute we walked outside.

"Miss," he greeted with a grin and a tip of his hat.

"Clive," I grinned back, "these are my friends Rachel and Kurt."

He bowed slightly and popped the cork on a bottle of champagne.  
"Courtesy of Miss Lovato," he said, pouring the beverage into glasses. We smiled and accepted the glasses before Clive, being very professional, returned to his drivers' seat.

As Kurt and Rachel giggled and fiddled with the different buttons in the back of the limo, I decided to text Dani.

**Champagne was a nice touch. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to get me drunk. :P**

It didn't take long before I had an answer.  
**  
****Judging by last night, I wouldn't need alcohol. ;)**

**Can't wait to see you. ****  
**  
"Are you blushing?" asked Rachel.

Unaware that I was being watched, I couldn't help but share the texts. I also, as much as I hate to admit it, couldn't stop from joining in with the giggles. I'd like to say that it felt like I was back in high school, but I've never felt this way before.

The traffic from Bushwick to Newark was crowded, especially at the tunnel. Dani's showed started at 7pm and it was already 6:45pm.

**I hear you're going to be a little late. I guess I'll get my good luck kiss after the show? **

"What's it say?" Both Rachel and Kurt asked in unison. It had become the way; when my phone buzzed, the car went quiet. I could feel myself blushing again.

"She wanted a good luck kiss," I said casually, trying not to make it a big deal.

**Guess we'll see how the show goes. Good luck! ****  
****Xxo**

"You guys are totally cute," said Kurt.

I rolled my eyes and tried to brush it off. I barely knew this girl, but I know every time she looks at me, my stomach jumps. Or when she touches me, my skin tingles beneath her fingers. I want to know Dani, not just the musician but the person.

"I'm scared I'm going to mess this up before it even starts," I said quietly.

"Santana, you're an amazing person. Stop telling yourself otherwise, she obviously liked you or I don't think we'd be here," said Rachel, looking around the limo.

"You're right. You're right, just one thing at a time," I agreed.

We finally made it to the arena. Clive drove around to the side entrance and handed us VIP lanyards. Trying to stay classy, Kurt and Rachel were excitedly texting each other. We followed Clive into the building and he led us to the backstage area.

"Um, Clive? You sure we're allowed to be back here? Seems a little restricted," I asked, as we continued through checkpoints flashing our VIP badges as we went.

"Of course Miss," he said, holding open yet another door.

I could hear the rapping of the last act before Dani, I was happy we hadn't missed any of her show. Before I realized it, we were right backstage. I could see the band and a little woman jumping around.

"This is insane. Are we actually here right now!" I yelled to my friends, whose eyes were huge as they took in their surroundings.

We all started laughing, completely in shock. I looked around to see what was happening around us; then I saw her. Blonde hair, big eyes and gorgeous smile. She must have felt me staring as she turned to smile and wave.

"Oh my god, she's coming over here!" shrieked Rachel.

I tried to find something to do with my hands but wearing the dress I was, didn't leave many options. I folded my hands in front as Dani walked up.

"Hi!" she said, leaning in for a quick hug, "I'm so happy you made it."

"Me too," I smiled back.

Kurt cleared his throat and reminded me of their presence.

"Sorry, these are my friends and roommates, Kurt and Rachel," I introduced.

"Nice to meet you both," said Dani, as she shook their hands. "Well, I wish I could stay but that's my cue."

Kurt and Rachel wished Dani luck before walking over to the side of the stage to watch the end of the second act.

"Wow, I'm super nervous," admitted Dani, looking down.

"You? I don't believe it. You love it out there, everyone can tell that. You'll be awesome," I said, trying to be encouraging.

"I'm not really worried about everyone else," she smiled, raising an eyebrow, "and to be honest, I wasn't really nervous until you got here."

"Oh well, I can spill another slushy on you. That seemed to do the trick yesterday," I said, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Can we go somewhere tonight?" Dani asked, as she was being called.

"Okay."

"Great. So I'll see you after the show?"

"I'll be waiting," I said, trying to tame my goofy smile.

Her people had come to get her and they were pulling her to her mark but she managed to run back.

"I'm so happy you're here," she whispered in my ear, before kissing my cheek and rushing off with her crew.

I reached up to touch the spot. The flutter returned to my stomach. Dani was different from other people. She was special; anyone could see that, not only from the way she was on stage but from those eyes. I went to join Kurt and Rachel who were looking out at the huge crowd from behind the curtains.

"Can you imagine being up there in front of all those people?" asked Kurt.

"Not a chance. I was freaking out in the auditorium," I said, behind him.

The lights flashed and her voice sounded through out the arena. Kurt and Rachel, along with the rest of the crowd, went wild. It was deafening.

Knowing I was standing off to the right of the stage, Dani took the opportunity to look over while singing the lyrics, "be still my heart, cause its freaking out."

Our eyes locked for a brief second and I saw her smile behind her microphone. I couldn't help but smile back. Kurt and Rachel turned to see if I had been paying attention, when they saw the smile lingering on my lips they immediately came over for a hug. They were mumbling something about love but I couldn't hear over the incredibly hot voice of Dani Lovato.

The show was another success. The crowd, like Myka and myself last night, were sad to have it come to an end. I, on the other hand, couldn't wait. We tried to stay out of everyone's way, as the crew began to rush around the stage taking down and packing equipment. We were standing pretty much in the same spot when Dani found us.

"Well? How was that?" she asked, pulling her earpiece out.

"Amazing! I loved it. You were incredible," said Rachel, in a quick breath.

"Bravo! It was so good, the crowd was going crazy for you," answered Kurt.

"Thanks guys," Dani breathed, still trying to get her breathing back from the last encore. "What about you?" she asked, taking the water bottle someone was offering.

"Me?" I said, pointing to myself, " I thought it was mind-blowing," I replied with a small smile. "But I may be bias."

"Is it because you might have a crush on me?" asked Dani.

I grinned, liking the little banter between us.

"Something like that."

Our evening turned into a quick autograph session as we tried to leave the arena and a replay of the after party. Kurt and Rachel loved every second, but I couldn't help but think about the time I would get to have alone with Dani. Dani was off 'smoozing' as she called it and I was telling my friends the story of her chipped guitar. Finally, the blonde returned holding four glasses of champagne.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," she said, handing us each a glass, "I just wanted to thank you guys for coming."

"Oh, thank _you_. We've have had such a wonderful evening," said Kurt.

"We should probably be heading back soon. Kurt and I have to work in the morning," said Rachel, winking at me.

"Of course, feel free to get Clive whenever you're ready," said Dani, looking around for him.

"I'm sure we can find him. Thank you again, we had so much fun" said Kurt, following Rachel's lead.

"San, you'll be okay to get home?" asked Rachel, as she hugged me goodbye.

"Yes, I think I'll manage."

We watched them leave with Clive before Dani grabbed my hand.

"Let's get out of here."

We ended up back at Dani's hotel room. It was huge and had a large rooftop balcony looking out over the Newark Bay. Dani told me to make myself comfortable and excused herself while she took a quick shower. I stepped out onto the balcony and watched as the shore was alive with lights. I could see the waves crashing against the beach and if I listened hard enough I could hear them. Looking up, the stars were few and far between, living the city life; it was something I was struggling to get used to. I heard the glass door open behind and Dani emerged with two wine glasses.

"Hey," I said, taking in her new look. Her hair was still wet and she had changed to black jeans and a simple v-neck tee under a denim jacket she was putting on.

"Hey, I ordered some room service, I hope you don't mind," she said, passing me a glass.

"Not at all. I'm starving," I answered.

She joined me, leaning against the railing.

"I forgot your jacket," I admitted.

"Good. I guess that means you'll have to come visit me," she said, nudging me with her shoulder.

"I don't even know where that is," I said, shyly.

"I have a place in LA. It's just an apartment but it works for me when I'm there," Dani said, as she moved to have a seat on the longue set up behind us. I followed and sat down across from her.

"I've never been to LA. Besides here, I've only ever been in Lima. I have such big dreams but they've all just come from little places," I said, looking back out at the skyline.

"It doesn't matter where the dreams come from, as long as you have dreams. That's what keeps everyone going," said Dani, also peering out.

"Have your dreams always been to be on stage?"

She looked back at me, "always. I've always loved singing and playing the guitar. I got my first guitar when I was three. I used to just bang on it," she laughed at the memory. "Then my parents caught me making out with girl in the basement and all hell broke loose. I grabbed my guitar and never looked back."

I nodded, not knowing what to say, flashes of my Gramma's reaction coming back to me.

"What about you? How did your parents take it?"

"My parents were good, my Gramma not so much. I came out here hoping to find a place where I can finally belong and make something of myself."

"And how's that working out for ya?" asked Dani, who seemed genuinely interested.

"I'll let you know. It's a work in process," I smiled.

We heard a knock on the door and Dani went to let in the room service. I watched as they brought in two carts full of food. I stood and brought in our empty wine glasses.

"Did you order the entire kitchen?" I asked, once the waiter was gone.

"Well, I wasn't totally sure what you liked besides French fries, so I thought I'd better be safe than sorry," she smiled, popping something into her mouth.

"Oh, that's hot," she said, fanning her mouth.

I laughed and brought her over a fresh glass.

"Oh my god, you have to try this," she said, holding something up for me to eat.

"Didn't you just say it was hot," I asked, shaking my head.

"You're right," she held the piece of food up to her lips and blew on it.

"Y-yeah, that'll help," I said, watching her lips.

She moved closer, "I think it should be okay now."

There wasn't much room between us and it was as though my heart could sense that; it started beating faster. The glasses I was holding gave the tremors in my hands away. I set them down on the tray beside us and looked back into Dani's dark eyes. Ignoring the food, I closed the gap between us and kissed her. She stood still for a moment before dropping what was in her hands and pulling me closer. My hands on her waist, travelled to her back, under her jacket. She held my face in her hands so gently and her tongue swept across my lower lip. Needing a breath, I stepped back and my head was floating.

"Well, I think one glass of wine did the trick," said Dani quietly.

I laughed as I gathered my hair up in a tie. Being this close to Dani was driving me crazy.

"Well, we can take this stuff outside if you want. Maybe have a little picnic? Is that totally lame? I haven't done this that much," she asked, scratching her head.

I laughed, seeing Dani a little flustered.

"It's sweet, I haven't been asked to many picnics," I replied.

We moved back outside, the night air was cool but refreshing. Especially since my body was going crazy. Dani told me stories of being on tour and in the studio. The way she spoke of her music was full of passion and pride. I had never met anyone who was so fulfilled by what they did for a living. The organizations she was apart of, she held them close to her heart. It was easy to see what kind of person she was and she was the kind I found myself falling for.

"So you haven't talked to your parents since you were sixteen?" I asked, wanting to know everything about her.

"Um, kind of. When my first big record came out and hit the radio, they tried to contact me through my agent," she answered, shifting a little.

"How did that go?"

"It ended up that they were just looking for a quick buck and I wasn't having any of it. It ended up being another disappointment." Dani looked away and tried to discreetly brush a tear away.

"I'm sorry I brought it up," I said, placing my hand on hers.

"It's fine. It's for the best," she said, shaking her head and smiling through.

"So, tell me about you," said Dani, she slid back against the wall where I sat. I lifted the blanket I had covering my legs so she could share.

"Well, what do you want to know? My stories aren't as exciting as yours."

"I've been talking about me all night. I want to know about your life, how did you end up in New York?"

I debated telling her about Louisville but figured there was no point in lying. Dani was not one to judge. I told her about Kurt and Rachel and how close we have gotten over the past year. The whole time I was talking, Dani seemed to be hanging on to my every word. I've never had anyone so interested in who I was. I didn't really let anyone in either, but the more we talked the more I couldn't see leaving her out.

The sky was lightening up; I entwined my fingers with Dani's and leaned against her with my head on her shoulder.

"I've always thought of myself as more of a sunset kind of girl, but I'm starting to realize what I've been missing," I said, as we cuddled under the blanket to watch the sunrise out of the water. 


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Holy guys! Your comments are ah-mazing. They make me smile. Thanks so much for reading!** **I had one idea for this chapter and then it turned into something else, so hopefully another posting will be ready quickly following this one.**

I woke up feeling stiff but warm. I opened my eyes but didn't move. It took me a second to get oriented and then I remembered falling asleep on Dani after we watched the sunrise. Dani was still asleep with her arm around me. Judging by the sun, it seemed to be late afternoon. The thought of having a shift at the diner tonight brought me back to reality. I tried to move without waking Dani. I slipped out from under her arm and snuck inside. I turned on the coffee machine and filled it with water. While I was waiting, I saw a pair of track pants and a tank top sitting on Dani's bed. Considering I was still wearing my dress from the night before, I walked over to change, hoping Dani wouldn't mind. I fixed my hair, putting it back up in the hair tie and trying to look somewhat presentable.  
When the coffee finished I poured two cups and brought them outside. Dani was stirring a little; I sat down next to her on the blanket.

"Morning," I said, quietly.

"Morning," she smiled, accepting the coffee, "mmm, smells good."

"I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, I guess I was just so comfortable," I admitted.

"Had I known we were going to fall asleep we could've gone back inside," yawned Dani.

"Considering where we slept, I feel pretty good," I replied, taking a sip of coffee.

"You look good," grinned Dani.

"Yeah, sorry. I had to get out of that dress."

"You look good in my clothes. So, what's your plan for today? What is today? Friday?"

"I have to work tonight, but other than that not much."

"I think I have tonight off and we fly out tomorrow, if I remember correctly," said Dani, reaching for her phone to check.

"You leave tomorrow? Where do you go next?" I asked, worried that our time was running out.

"We fly up to Canada for a show. And I can't remember where I am after that," she explained.

"Maybe I can get Rachel to cover my shift and we could go to dinner?"

"I'd like that," grinned Dani.

I text Rachel and asked her about my shift. While I was waiting for an answer my phone rang. Ana's picture popped up.

"Sorry, Myka usually calls me Friday after school."

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, I'm going to run inside."

I watched her walk inside with her coffee cup. She was pulling her denim jacket off as she went.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hi Auntie Tana!"

"Hey Squirt, how was school?"

"Good. But Bobby tried to kiss me. I told him my auntie would go Lima Heights on his ass."

I had to stifle my laughter. I'm sure Ana loved that. I made a mental note to apologize for that one.

"Kid, what did we say about swearing? Mama doesn't like it."

"I know," Myka sighed, "are you going to come over tonight? Mama said we could watch a movie and have popcorn."

"Sorry bud, I have a dinner tonight."

"Aww, do you have to? I picked our favorite movie!"

Dani came back outside and sat on the lounge beside me.

"Yeah, sorry Myk. Maybe tomorrow okay?" I hated to hear disappointment in my niece's voice but it was my last night with Dani.

"I guess. I miss you Auntie," sniffled the six year old.

"I miss you more."

That one played on the heartstrings. I smiled over at Dani; she seemed to be able to sense my troubles.

"Is that Myka?" she whispered.

I nodded and Dani put her hand out for the phone.

"Myka, I have a friend who wants to talk to you, okay?" I said into the phone.

"Okay."

"Hi Myka!" grinned Dani into the phone. "I don't know if you'll remember me, but it's Dani Lovato."

I could hear the screaming from the phone as Dani pulled it away from her ear.

"You're concert was the best!"

"Thank you! We'll have to get you tickets to another then I guess. So I hear you want to hang out with your aunt tonight?"

"Yeah, but she has plans."

"I think she could probably make it work. In fact, I think she just said we'll see you tonight."

"Really? Are you coming too?"

"Would that be okay?"

"Yeah! You can meet my mom and see my room!"

Dani was laughing as she listened to my niece ramble on, "okay that sounds perfect. I'll let you talk to your auntie again okay?"

"Okay! Bye Dani Lovato."

"Bye Myka."

I told Myka to get her mom to text me and hung up, but not before hearing all about showing Dani her room.

I looked at Dani who was quietly strumming her guitar she had brought out.

"You don't have to do this," I said, holding up my phone.

"Are you kidding? First of all, you should have seen your face when you had to tell that kid no. Secondly, I think I invited myself to meet your family. So the only way you're getting out of this, is if you think that's too soon," she said, looking back at her guitar.

"I know. I spoil her. I can't help it. Her happiness keeps my heart warm," I shrugged. "Wait...you want to meet my family?" I asked. I had never been with a girl who had willingly wanted to meet my family.

"Well, I kind of like you. I just figured we should get that out of the way. That way, if they don't like me, we can come up with a way to bribe them," she answered, trying to keep a straight face.

"I don't think it would take much, but I don't think you have to worry."

I moved to sit on the bottom of her lounge.

"You kind of like me eh?" I asked, tucking a piece of hair that had fallen.

Dani put her guitar down and rested her chin in her hand. She nodded, looking at me with the same look she did last night during the show. It gave me goose bumps.

"I know it seems sort of fast but from the moment I saw you, there was something about you. It made my stomach all butterfly-like," admitted the blonde.

"Me too," I said, feeling the goofy grin, I was getting used to, reappear. 

While Dani was getting dressed and ready, Rachel called me. I sat down at the dining table and answered, trying to be quiet as Rachel grilled me about Dani.

"I know, but she leaves tomorrow. I just want to spend one more night with her. Yes that means it's going well," I said, listening to her clap and giggle on the other end.

"Okay, well we'll be there in an hour so I can pick some stuff up and change."

"No, you're not singing for her."

"Cause it's bad enough we got roped into babysitting tonight! She doesn't need to entertain my roommates as well."

"Berry...stop singing. Berry! I swear," I rolled my eyes and smiled, as Dani came back out.

"Okay. I'll see you in a bit. Bye," I said, over her vocals.

"So, turns out Rachel is just as excited to see you again," I said, putting my phone down. "I'm actually pretty thankful you've already met them, they're pretty much family too."

"Good, well I'm glad they liked me."

"Who wouldn't? You're Dani Lovato."

"Speaking of that, remind me to tell Myka that she can just call me Dani. I'm excited to babysit, I can't remember the last time I did that," she said, pulling on a leather jacket.

"She'll be stoked to see you again," I said, reaching up to fix her collar.

Our eyes met and I couldn't look away. Her eyes were a warm, chocolate brown right now. It felt like I could melt in them. I let my hands linger with her collar. She moved in between my knees and leaned down. Our lips touched, gently at first. I pulled her closer to me, my hand pushing her hair back, her hands resting on my thighs. The kiss got a little deeper. I felt her tongue come out and caress my lip before pulling it into her mouth. She let out a little moan before pulling away.

"Yeah, that damn butterfly feeling. I don't think I'll ever get used to it," she said, leaning her head against mine.

We stopped at the loft for what was supposed to be a quick visit. However, Rachel insisted that we stay and have tea. Really, it was just a question and answer session. Kurt and Rachel both had their elbows on the tables, listening to every last detail. Finally, I put my foot down, saying we had to get Myka.

When we pulled up in Dani's rental car, it took Myka a second to recognize who it was. She came darting down the porch steps; arms wide open. I opened mine just as big, ready to bend down and scoop her up and she ran right past me to Dani.

"Hi Dani!"

"Whoa! Hi Myka! How are you?" asked Dani, holding her balance as the six year old ran into her.

"Uh, hello? What am I?" I asked, still waiting for my hug.

"You're Auntie Tana!" shouted Myk. She twirled around and ran to me.

"Ah, no mi gusta!" I teased, as she wiggled out of my arms and quickly found Dani's hand. 

Ana appeared on the porch; she was all dressed up for her girls night out.

"Hi," I said, giving her a hug, "Ana, this is Dani."

I turned to Dani who was carrying Myka on her back. My stomach did a flip. They were both so damn cute. Dani reached out a hand quick before taking it back for support.

"It's nice to meet you," said Ana.

"You too. Your daughter is so cute," replied Dani.

"Mhmm. I'll ask you again when I get back," answered Ana. "Or after you get a phone call from her teacher about her cussing at school."

Ana shot me a look and I tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Okay, so I've left numbers on the counter, there's treats in the cupboards, am I forgetting anything?" asked my cousin.

"I don't think so. We go through this every time I babysit. Even though your number is already in my phone and we buy different, unhealthy, tasty treat's when you leave," I explained with a smile.

Ana rolled her eyes and gave me a hug as she headed down the walkway.

"Thank you! Have fun!" she called out.

"Bye!" we all shouted.

We ordered pizza and Myka picked out her favorite movie, the one with the monsters. Dani and I sat on the couch together while Myka sat on a throne of pillows on the floor. We finished our dinner and I cleared the plates to the kitchen. When I came back, Dani was helping Myka build a fort out of her pillows and couch cushions.

"We saved you a cushion Aunt Tana! But we might need it! Dani's making the best fort ever!" said Myka, excitedly.

"Oh, well I didn't realize I brought over an expert!" I grinned, watching the two stack pillows together.

The movie ended but we hadn't noticed since the fort construction had taken over. When it was finally complete, Myka decided she wanted to sleep in it. She went running upstairs to get her pillow and blankets.

"Hey Munchkin, put on some pj's while you're up there!" I yelled after her. Dani was laying half in the fort and half out, smiling up at me on my one cushion still on the couch.

"I think you should come in here, I think you'd make a pretty good queen," she said confidently.

"Oh do you?" I asked, pushing the cushion further down the couch and lying down on it. Our faces were closer and I could feel mine turning red, making Dani grin all the more. She pushed herself up so she was right in front of me.

"Babysitting is much more fun with you," she said, quietly as she moved closer.

I could only nod in agreement before her lips were on mine again. She always tasted so sweet. She started to lower herself back on to the floor causing me to lean off the couch. We started giggling at the position we were now in but my lips never left hers. Dani started to pull me right off the couch when we heard a loud crash. My head jerked up and I heard Myka's shrill scream. We were both up and running towards the commotion in a second. We found Myka at the bottom of the stairs, tangled in her blanket and blood dripping from her chin. My heart started racing and I felt like I was frozen. I couldn't tell where the blood was coming from. I tried to go to her but my feet wouldn't move. I tried to speak but my mouth couldn't make words.  
Dani saw the panic in my eyes and grabbed my hand as she moved closer to Myka.

"Hey baby girl," Dani said, picking Myka up. "Come here, it's okay." My niece was sobbing and the more she cried, the more blood there seem to be. I had never seen so much blood; the fact that it was coming from Myka was terrifying me.

"Can Auntie Tana look and see where it's hurt? I hear she's super good at fixing wee ones right up?" Dani was rubbing her back, trying to calm her down as she spoke. Her voice was calm and caring, she looked at me sympathetically and held out her hand. I tried to shake the panic that was shaking itself through me and moved closer to them.

"Hey buddy," I said, finally kneeling down in front of them. "Let me have a look okay?" She was starting to calm down and was leaning her head against Dani's chest. I wiped away some of her tears and the blood on her chin with my sleeve. Once I cleared it away, I could it was coming from inside her mouth. I tried to see inside her lip but as soon as I did, she started crying again. She buried her face into Dani's shoulder and wrapped her little arms around her neck. I stayed beside her rubbing her back, completely thankful that Dani had her.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital," I said quietly, not wanting to upset Myka anymore.

"I'll drive," said Dani.

I helped Dani stand up with my niece safely in her arms. I rushed around grabbing keys, phones and Myka's sweater. By the time I got outside and locked the door, Dani was making her way back around to the driver side. She stopped in front of the car as I walked towards her.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked, her hands on my arms stopping me.

"I broke her," I said, looking at the car.

Dani smiled, "she's not broken. Trust me, she's a tough little thing, just like her aunt. She'll be fine, I promise."

I nodded and handed her the keys and followed her down the driver's side to get in beside Myka. Once inside, Myka curled into my side, still crying. I wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head, "it's okay Beautiful, you're going to be just fine."

I saw Dani's eyes in the rear view mirror; the look she gave me was comforting. I don't know what I would have done without her. With Myka's sobs becoming quieter, I pulled my cell phone out to call Ana. I pushed call and waited to hear her voice. It went straight to voicemail. Knowing she always had her phone on and near her in case of emergencies, I tried her again. Nothing.

Dani pulled up outside the emergency room and let us out. I pulled Myka from the car and wrapped her sweater around her as she laid her head on my shoulder.

"I'll be right in as soon I park," said Dani, knowing I still wasn't okay. I nodded and headed inside.

"Can I help you?" asked the nurse behind the counter.

"My niece tripped down the bottom steps and it won't stop bleeding," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"What won't stop bleeding?" asked the nurse without looking up.

"I'm not sure. I think it's coming from inside her mouth but she was too upset to look," I answered, getting a little perturbed by the nurse's nonchalant attitude.

"Well, fill out these papers and have a seat," she said, handing over a clipboard.

"I don't think you understand," I said, trying to keep my anger in check, "she's still bleeding."

The nurse finally looked up ready to give me what looked like a smart-ass comment when Dani walked up behind me.

"Everything okay?" asked Dani, placing her hand on the small of my back.

"Oh, wow. You're Dani Lovato," said the nurse full of surprise.

"Yeah," replied Dani, "but I don't think that matters right now because this Cutie hurt herself and we need to get her fixed up right away. Don't we sunshine?" she asked Myka, wiping a tear away. Hearing Dani call Myka sunshine reminded me of the first morning we spent together, watching the sunrise, the quick memory eased some of my tension.

The nurse seemed to snap to attention the second Dani started talking.  
"I'll try to find her a room right away," she said, her eyes not leaving Dani. I found myself getting annoyed but for a completely different reason now.

"Thanks, that'd be great," said Dani, over her shoulder as she took the clipboard and moved us over to the waiting area.

"We'll fill this out and hopefully by then McNurse over there will have found us a room."

I smiled at her and nodded, I continued to rub Myka's back and wipe her tears as they came.

"I think you're going to have to do this, I got as far as her first name and age," she said, crinkling her nose.

"Okay," I laughed a little, I lifted Myka over to her lap and Dani pulled her close. Myka snuggled right into her, her head leaning against her chest under her chin. I had only filled in a couple boxes when I heard Dani started humming. I looked up and saw Dani's chin resting slightly on Myk's head, as the little one's eyelids were growing heavier and heavier. As I watch the scene unfold in front of me, I suddenly felt my own tears falling. Dani looked up and saw; she reached out to take my hand. She smiled but didn't stop humming.

"Thank you," I mouthed, wanting to thank her over and over. She only smiled as she continued to calm my niece. I finished filling out the form with one hand while Dani held the other on Myka's lap. While we waited, I tried Ana's cell again. It was still going straight to voicemail. I kept trying knowing Myka would want her mom if she needed a stitch or something. It had been just over an hour in the waiting room, when the doors quickly opened and a flustered Ana came storming through.  
She immediately found us and came right over.

"What the hell Santana?" she asked; not masking the criticism in her voice.

"She's okay, she tripped down the bottom steps," I started to explain.  
Ana, who was kneeling down in front of Dani to see her daughter, looked up at me.

"Okay? We are in a hospital San! She's not okay, or she would be home in her bed. Do you know how horrifying it was to come home to all the blood when I walked in?"

My mind went back to the house as I thought about Myka crying. Her sobs spraying blood everywhere.  
The feeling of panic came back and I looked at Myka needing the reassurance that she was okay.

"I figured it was more important to get her here, than clean up your entrance way," I snapped back, not appreciating her comments.

"You should have called me? What were you thinking? That she wouldn't want her mom here? Maybe if you weren't a smart ass, you would have found the numbers I left for you!"

My eyes grew wide as she spoke, "I tried calling. I've been calling! You're phone isn't on. It goes straight to voicemail."

Ana only stared at me. She lifted Myka from Dani's lap and moved to a seat closer to the front desk.

I sat there, stunned. Dani turned to me after she watched Ana sit down with Myka. There was blood down the front of her shirt and seeing it brought all my emotions to the surface. I looked down at my hands that were shaking in my lap, but there was blood on my sleeve. My whole body started shaking, my breathing quickened and Dani picked up on it in a second.

"Hey, let's go get some air," she said taking my hand and helping me stand. We walked out not saying anything. I kept it together until the cold night air hit me and the tears fell freely.

"It's my fault. I should've been helping her," I said, trying to catch my breath. Dani was by my side, her hand on my shoulder.

"San, it was accident. It could have happened anywhere. Ana is just freaked out, she didn't mean anything she said," she helped me over to a bench. I sat quietly while Dani rubbed my back, like she had with my niece.

"She's going to be fine," she said quietly.

I wanted to go back inside for Myka but I didn't want to talk to Ana. It was getting late and I felt bad for keeping Dani out this late as well, knowing she had to travel tomorrow.

"You don't have to wait. You need to sleep before you fly all over tomorrow," I mumbled, wiping my tears away.

"There is no other place I'd rather be right now," she answered, sliding her arm though mine and entwining our fingers.

"Thanks," I managed before a fresh wave of tears came. I rested my head on her shoulder.

"She's going to be bouncing around before you know it. Trust me, there was one time on tour; I was getting really hyped up and I was dancing and jumping all over, when the timing kicked in I lifted the microphone up so fast, I hit myself in the mouth. I tried to keep singing but there was blood. It wasn't very sexy," she laughed at the memory.

I looked at her, "are you making this up to make me feel better?"

She pulled her lip down to show me a small scar, "wish I was. Unfortunately, I'm that clumsy."

I laughed a little and wiped my eyes.

Before we could say anything else, Ana came out of the doors.

"She needs a stitch and she's asking for you," she called out to me. I looked at Dani, who was already standing up. I walked over to Ana, who hugged me and started crying.

"I'm sorry. I was just so scared when I walked in. I didn't mean any of it," she said into my shoulder.

"It's okay," I whispered back, pulling away to go find my favorite kid. They both followed me into the room that Myka was in. I walked right up to the bed and grabbed her hand.

"Hey Kiddo," I said, smiling and brushing her hair back.

"I thought you left Auntie Tana," she said, her lip quivering.

"I would never leave you, don't forget that okay?"

She nodded, "I'm scared."

"I know. But there's nothing to be scared of, you won't feel a thing and it'll be over before you know it."

The doctor moved in and did what she needed to. She froze Myka's lip and placed two stitches. When she was done, she shook Ana's hand and left the room.

Ana said she needed to go talk to the front desk and that we'd meet her outside. Myka was super exhausted and a little out of it. I gently wrapped her sweater around her and zipped it up. After giving Ana a moment to clear things up, I lifted Myka into my arms. She put her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my neck. I gave her a little squeeze before walking out with her; Dani pulled her sweater down for her and walked out to get the car.

Moments later, we were back at Ana's and she had taken her sleeping daughter up to bed. Dani and I went to the kitchen to get rags to clean up the mess. By the time Ana came back down, it was gone.

"I just want to say goodbye, then we'll head out," I said, taking the stairs up.

I walked to the door of her room and just peered in. Her mom had changed her pajamas, but her lip was still swollen as evidence. I walked in and pulled the blankets around her. I sat down on the edge of her bed and rubbed the back of her tiny hand with my finger.

"Let's promise not to scare each other like that anymore, okay?" I whispered. She didn't move.

"I love you Myk," I said quietly, as I leaned over to kiss her head. I wiped a tear and stood up.

I took a deep breath before heading back downstairs. Dani and Ana were talking quietly as I came down. Dani looked up and smiled. I returned the smile before hugging Ana goodbye.

"Call me if anything happens or you need something," I said, as I pulled away.

"I will, I promise," answered my older cousin.

"I'll be over in the morning."

"I know."

"Call, if you need anything," repeated Dani as we left.

Ana nodded and closed the door behind us.

We got back into Dani's car and she backed out if the driveway.

"Well, that's not how I planned tonight," I said, as Dani pulled up to a red light.

"It started out fun," she smiled.

"I'm really glad you were there. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't," I said, looking out the window, not wanting to lose it again.

"You would have been fine. You would have switched into super aunt mode in a second," she said, taking my hand in hers as she drove. "It must have been my good looks that distracted you."

I looked at her and she grinned back at me.

"It might have been. You do seem to have that effect on me," I smiled back.

We ended up back at Dani's hotel room. We had grabbed some tea from the coffee shop next door and planned to sit out on the balcony. On our way out, Dani grabbed her big blanket and pillows. She set them up on the lounge and sat down first, I followed, sitting between her legs with my back leaning against her. I pulled the blankets around us and rested my head against her shoulder.

"I could get used to this," I said, looking up at the stars. Being on one of the higher floors made it easier to see them.

"Let's try to make it back inside tonight, I think it's a little chillier out tonight," teased Dani, as she sipped her drink.

I must have been more tired than I thought; a couple hours later Dani was gently shaking me awake.

"Let's go inside, I'm freezing," she whispered.

As she said it, a chill rushed through me. I helped her bring in the blankets and pillows. Dani quickly threw them on the bed and crawled underneath. I stood by the window, seeing the sun beginning to crest over the horizon.

"Come in here, we'll watch it together," said Dani, holding the blankets up for me.

I walked over to the bed and climbed in. I cuddled up against the blonde behind me and felt her arms pull me in. She rested her chin against my head and we could see perfectly out the window. It was like watching a moving picture. The colors were unbelievable.

"I don't want you to leave," I whispered, entwining my fingers with Dani's. When she didn't answer, I twisted around to see her face. She was sleeping. Her breathing was even and she looked so peaceful. I turned right around and wrapped my arms around her waist. With my head resting on her chest, I could hear the steady beat of her heart, which lulled me to sleep.

A few hours later, I reached my arm out hoping to find Dani but instead found an empty bed. I sat up and fixed my hair, looking around for the pop star. She came whipping into the room with a small suitcase.

"Good morning Sunshine," she said, stopping to kiss my cheek, "I was hoping to pack without waking you."

"For a second, I thought you might have left without saying goodbye," I yawned and stretched.

"I would never," she said, winking at me. "I am, however, going to miss my flight if I don't put a little pep into my step."

I moved to the kitchen and poured myself a coffee. When I walked back into the bedroom, Dani was switching pillowcases on the pillows.

"What are you doing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I like to travel with a pillow," she beamed.

"So, you're stealing a pillow?"

"Well, stealing is a harsh word. It's more like borrowing," she said, stacking the suitcases.

I laughed at her justification; "whatever keeps you comfy."

There was a knock at the door and Dani walked over to answer it. I could hear a familiar, deep voice.

"Fifteen minutes Miss Lovato."

"Thanks Clive, I'll be down in a minute. These are ready to go," Dani answered. She reappeared in the doorway. Her hands shoved in her pockets, she leaned against the frame. She looked perfect.

"So, I guess this is it," I said, looking down at my coffee cup before setting it down. I stood and walked over to her. "When will I be able to see you next?"

"Well, I'm sure I can sneak back to New York for something," she said, snaking her arms around my waist.

I smiled liking the fact that she wanted there to be a next time too. I slid a hand into her long, blonde hair and held her to me. She smelt so good; I wanted to be able to remember that until the next time I saw her. She pulled back and looked into my eyes.

"This isn't goodbye forever, right?" she said, biting her bottom lip.

"Not in my mind," I said, before smiling against her lips. Her hands found mine; they slid into one another's like a perfect match. I wanted more of her, but knew it would have to wait until next time. I moved us closer to the wall, Dani had her back against it. I slid my hands under her jacket and kissed her neck.

"I'll miss you," I whispered in her ear.

"Me too." 


	5. Chapter 5

TWC05

TWC5

There was a knock on Ana's door while I was babysitting. It had been two days since Dani left and I realized my feelings for her had grown faster than I could handle. I opened the door and saw a delivery guy standing in front of me.

"Myka Lopez?" he asked.

"She's my niece," I answered.

"Great. Sign here," he said, handing me a machine to sign.

He handed me the huge basket he was holding. It was heavier than I thought it would be. I kicked the door closed and called Myka into the kitchen.

"This was just dropped off for you," I said, standing back and displaying the basket.

"Really?" asked Myk, her eyes wide.

She tore into the wrapping, pulling it apart to get to the good part.

"Is there a card?" I asked, as she picked it out and handed it to me.

It was written in pink pen.

"Dear Myka," I read aloud, "I hope your lip is feeling better and if it's not I hope this basket will help. I know your Auntie is taking great care of you; I can't wait to see you guys again. Love, Dani."

I looked at Myka who had the biggest smile on her face.

"Dani Lovato sent this?" she asked.

"She did," I said, holding up the card, "that was nice of her huh?"

Myka nodded as she continued digging through the basket. I couldn't tell who was more excited by this, Myka or me. She pulled out a cute picture frame that had a selfie of Dani and Myka in their pillow fort. It was signed: To Myka, you're my favorite! Love, Dani xo

I was lost in my thoughts as I stared at the photo. It was a cute picture. They both looked so happy, my heart was melting all over again, or was it falling?

"Here Auntie," said Myka, holding up an envelope.

"What's that Munchkin?" I asked, taking the envelope. It was addressed to me with a heart. I wanted to read it but I put it in my purse to read when I was alone. I continued to help Myk pull things out. There was candy and chocolate, tee shirts and autographed pictures, and a bear with a mini guitar.

"Wow, this is crazy huh? Pretty nice of Dani," I said.

"Very nice of Dani. She's a nice girl. I like her," answered Myka. "Do you like her Auntie?"

"I do, she's pretty awesome."

"Do you want her to be your girlfriend?" asked my niece.

I looked at her while her attention was on something from the basket. Am I really going to have this conversation with a six year old?

"I would like that," I said, playing with Myka's hair. "But I don't think that'll happen. We're just friends."

"Why can't she be your girlfriend?"

It was a simple question, yet I had no answer. Why couldn't she be my girlfriend? I'm single. She's single.

"I think it's just a little more complicated than that bud," I reasoned.

"Why?"

"Well, Dani lives far away and she travels a lot."

"So, she could travel here."

Everything seems so easy through the eyes of a six year old. But it was true, she did live far away but she could also travel here. I let myself daydream about a relationship with Dani, before coming back to reality.

"Let's just call her and say thank you for now, okay Cupid?"

Myka smiled and looked down at the Face Time call on my phone.

Dani answered and her face popped up on the screen.

"Hi Dani!" shouted Myka, waving.

"Hi Cutie! How are you feeling?" asked the blonde, equally excited for the phone call.

"Better. Look!" said Myka, pulling her lip down and showing her stitches.

"Whoa! When you get those out, we'll have the same mark on our lips!"

It made me laugh seeing both girls holding their lips out to each other.

"Thank you for the basket! I like my bear! His guitar looks like yours," Myka held the bear up to the screen.

"You're right! It looks like my favorite guitar," agreed Dani.

"I'm going to take my picture and my bear to school tomorrow for show and tell. Hey! You know what?"

"What's that Squirt?" Dani reclined back in the chair she was sitting in as she listened to my niece ramble on.

"I told the kids at school that I met you and that we were friends and they said I was lying. But, you're my friend right?" Myka asked; her brow furrowed.

"Of course! Best friends! They'll see when you bring in your picture of our awesome fort! Wanna high five?" asked Dani, holding her hand against her screen.

Myka laughed and high fived my phone.

"How's Auntie Tana?" asked Dani, once they were done comparing bottom lips.

"She's good. She said she wants to be your girlfriend," Myka said, matter of fact.

"Myk!" I whispered, my eyes huge as I stood out of the shot.

Dani was smirking, "she does eh?"

"Yeah, but I'm not supposed to tell you."

I covered my face with my hands.

"Okay! Say bye Myka!" I said, a little louder than necessary.

"Bye Dani!" she said, waving and laughing as she jumped off the chair.

"Bye Myk!" Dani called after her, still smirking.

Dani and I were left staring at each other; I shook my head and laughed.

"She's like a whole new person," whispered Kurt, as he passed the soymilk to Rachel.

"I know. I mean, look at this," she said, pouring it into her tea and pointing at me. "It's before nine in the morning and when has she ever cleaned a dish?"

"And the bathroom, it's sparkling," added Kurt.

"I can hear you," I said, lifting my head up from cleaning the kitchen. I tried to hide my smile. It was the same smile that had been glued to my face since I met Dani. They continued whispering about me and giggling until I threw my lemon scented rag at them.

"We're just happy for you San," said Kurt.

"I can't remember the last time I've seen you this happy. It makes me happy," agreed Rachel.

"Not to mention, you're dating THE Dani Lovato," said Kurt, coming to sit at the kitchen table.

"We're not dating," I said, rolling my eyes and shrugging.

"Oh? What do you call what you're doing? Late night phone calls, early morning texts and midday Face Time," asked Rachel. "Sounds like dating to me."

"Yeah, I would concur. Definitely sounds like dating," nodded Kurt, smiling.

"You think I'm dating an internationally known artist?" I asked, leaning against the table.

"Yes!" they said at once.

"No, I don't know what we're doing, but it's not dating...but I kind of really like it," I admitted.

Kurt and Rachel just stared back at me, grinning.

My dance class finished early today. I felt like I had this extra energy; I was moving faster, my actions were on point and my timing was perfect. I switched into my sneakers and headed home. I thought I noticed a couple of funny glances from my classmates but I brushed it off on account of my new and improved mood. I was practically skipping down the sidewalk as Dani's voice flowed from my headphones. I took the longer way home, stopping to check out some of the local street vendors. The fresh veggies, fruits and flowers all seemed much brighter in color. These new feelings normally would have worried me but since I met Dani, I was happy with the person I was around her. I didn't need to put up a front, I could just be myself; I liked that.  
The last vendor before the corner was the newspaper stand. I walked by slowly, reading the headlines to see if something caught my eye. I had almost walked away when the big, yellow letters caught my eye.

_'Dani Lovato's New Gold Digger!'_

I picked up the magazine and felt the wind being knocked out of me. Staring back at me from the cover was a picture of Dani and I from the first after party.

_'Has Dani's heart had enough of a break to handle another heart attack? Sources say this new flavor isn't new to the heartbreaking scene!'_

I flipped through to the article and saw more pictures. There were a couple of Dani on stage in New York, followed by more of her holding my hand as we walked the carpet into the party.

"Gold digger? What the hell? Heartbreaker?" I mumbled to myself.

_'Sources say Dani's new fling is a struggling artist who's looking for a quick step into the spotlight and she's willing to do anything for it.'_

"What the hell?" I muttered. I don't know if I was more shocked or concerned. I gathered up all the magazines that had our picture on the front and put them on the counter.

The old man behind the counter gave me a funny look before bagging them and taking my money. I pulled my phone out to call Dani. I finally found someone who, I think makes me happy and a better person, I don't want that to be taken away because of some rumor. My steps became quicker as I tried to get home, my breathing as well. No answer on Dani's phone. My chest was starting to feel tight. I was a block away from the loft. The sun felt like a spotlight. My duffle and shopping bag were starting to feel like anchors.

"Just a couple more steps," I coaxed myself.

Suddenly, all the feelings and emotions rushing around in my head could not be controlled any longer. I just made it down the alley beside our building when I threw up. I couldn't catch my breath. My eyes were stinging with tears and sweat started to drip down my back.

"Santana?" asked Kurt, peeking his head around the corner. He rushed to my side when he realized it was me. "Hey, what's going on? You okay?" he asked, taking my bags from me.

"I can't believe this," I whispered.

"San, what's going on? Let's go back inside," he said, helping me upstairs.

Kurt opened the door and stepped aside to let me in first. I went straight to the kitchen for a glass of water. I splashed some on my face and turned to face Kurt who was looking at me completely concerned. I moved forward and pulled a copy of the magazine out of the bag. I slid it on the table so it was in front of him. His eyes grew large as he took in the headlines.

"San. We all know that's not true," he said quietly, as he continued to read.

I didn't know what to think, "Who is this source? I'll give them a reason to talk about me."

Kurt looked up, "have you talked to Dani?"

"No, I can't get ahold of her," I said, picking up my phone and trying her number again.

"This is just a tabloid," he said, holding it up. "I'm sure she's used to this kind if stuff."

"We just met each other Kurt, what if she thinks that's actually what I'm trying to do? What if she believes I'm just using her to break into the industry? She knows I like to sing and that's my goal," I said, my breathing becoming labored again.

"Okay, okay," said Kurt, taking my hand. "Let's not think worse case until you talk to her."

"I really like her Kurt. It's almost like it's too good to be true and the universe is trying to crash it down before I even get a chance to tell her," I said, looking down at the photo of us.

Kurt gave me a sympathetic look, "on the upside, you guys look super cute together."

For the first time since finding the article, I smiled, "we do, don't we?"

Still, I was getting more and more worried, I tried Dani's phone again; still no answer.

"Why isn't she answering?" I asked, looking at Kurt. "I've called like a hundred times. Maybe she's seen it already. She was flying today, she probably stopped to grab something to read on the plane and is now freaking out as she flies, further away from me, across the country."

"Or she's flying and can't have her phone on. Or she's landed and is napping because of the time difference. You're thinking worst case again. You can't freak out until you guys talk," he said, reassuringly.

I put my phone down and walked away from the table. Rachel came home and the entire story unraveled in front of me once again. I was listening to the twins go back and forth over who the source could be when my phone rang. I shot up from the couch where I was laying and ran to it. I picked it up hoping to see Dani's face on my screen, but instead saw Ana's.

"Hey," I answered.

"Hey, are you sitting down because I have news," said my older cousin.

"Great, that's just what my day needs. G' 'head, what is it?" I replied.

"You made the cover of my favorite gossip magazine! They're calling you a heartbreaking, gold digger!" she said, excitedly.

I let my head hang and let out a deep breath.

"Oh, you know about this?" she asked. "You don't sound excited."

"Excited? This could ruin everything between Dani and I, why would I be excited about that?" I asked, not masking my annoyance.

"San, it's a gossip magazine. Everyone knows they're not true," argued Ana.

"If there's nothing true in them, then why do people buy them?"

Ana stumbled on her answer; then decided against answering all together.

"Have you talked to her?" she asked.

"I can't reach her. Or she's avoiding me because she thinks I'm going to steal all her money and break her heart," I answered, pessimistically.

"I'm sure she's just busy. Call me when you hear from her," offered Ana.

The second I hung up from Ana, my phone rang again and Dani's face appeared. Just seeing her picture on my phone seemed to calm me a little.

"Hey," I answered.

"Hey, is everything alright? Is Myka okay?" Dani asked right away.

"What? Yeah, she's fine."

"Okay, well I just landed and saw all the missed calls. I figured something was wrong. Are you okay?" she asked, still sounding concerned.

"I guess you haven't seen the latest edition of the tabloids?" I asked.

"I try to avoid them, why what's up?"

"We made the cover."

"The cover? Wow. They already knew I loved lady parts. What's the big story this time?" asked Dani.

"Your new heartbreaking, gold digging fling," I said, bluntly.

"Ugh," she said, her tone changing a little, "it's about you?"

"Well, it's about you but it's about me hurting you," I said, holding my head in my hand. I felt bad just telling her about it. She was quiet for a moment.

"You know I wouldn't hurt you like that right? We have something completely different and I really want to give it a chance," I said, hoping to break the silence.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course. Listen, can I call you back?" she asked, her voice sounding somewhat distant.

"Yeah, s-sure," I said, unsure of how she was really feeling.

I hung up with a worse feeling then when I answered. Kurt and Rachel were watching me. I tried to take a couple breaths so I could control my voice when I spoke.

"I think I'm going to go for a run before work," I said, moving away from the table.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Yeah, fine."

I could feel the sweat running down my face. I had been running for almost an hour and my feelings were no better now. I was worried that my fears had come true. I had messed up something great before even getting a shot at it. I ended up back at the loft. Kurt was already dressed for work.

"Sorry, give me twenty minutes and I'll be ready," I said, grabbing a water from the fridge.

Kurt nodded and continued what he was doing. Rachel was still getting ready in her room. I just followed my body and went through the motions of getting ready.

I usually enjoyed the graveyard shift but not knowing what Dani was thinking was killing me. After I dropped my second tray of food, Gunther moved me to the kitchen. I grabbed my phone and headphones and scrolled down to her album. Her voice rang through my ear buds and I couldn't do it, I hit shuffle and got to work. Working in the back made the time pass much quicker. With just under an hour left in my shift, Gunther came to get me for the last song of the night. I wasn't really expecting to sing today since I was in the back. I dried my hands and strolled out to the front. I was leaning against an empty booth when I realized the sun was starting to peek around the building. I started humming the familiar tune before the words actually came out. I wasn't sure if I knew all the words to 'Here Comes the Sun', but I was going to try. While I was singing, I was wishing that Dani's guitar were playing in the background. I must have really been focused on the guitar accompaniment because in the middle of the song I could have sworn I heard it. But then I heard her voice and turned around to see Dani standing in the middle of the diner. I'm glad she was singing because my voice caught when I saw her. We finished the song standing next to one another.

"Hi," I said, shyly.

"Hey," she smiled her confident smile. "I was wondering if I could get an autograph," she was holding a copy of the magazine.

I smiled and tilted my head.

"That's a horrible article," I answered.

"It's a really cute picture though," said Dani, looking at the photo again. "I should have warned you about the tabloids."

"It's fine," I shrugged it off, "I don't even know where they found their source."

"Honestly, they probably don't even have a source."

"I don't want to break your heart or use you to get ahead. I definitely don't want your money. I don't know why they would say that," I blurted out.

"I know that," she said, still smiling. "This has nothing to do with you, it's only a story because they can bring up my past relationship that ended horribly and they can sell more of these stupid things."

"Well, it worked. I cleared out the paper vendor around the corner from me," I said, looking at the cover.

Dani was laughing, which made me smile.

"Are you telling me you have no idea about my past?" asked Dani, with a skeptical look.

"Honestly, I've only listened to your music since I bought Myk's tickets. When your picture came up I realized you weren't the kid star my niece has all over her walls," I admitted, embarrassingly.

"Well, that's refreshing to know. It's nice to be able to meet someone who doesn't know everything about me before I get the chance to tell them," said Dani.

"Maybe we should have some breakfast and talk?" I suggested.

"I'd like that," said Dani, nodding.

I leaned against the table Dani had sat down in and rested my chin in my hand.

"How are you here right now anyway?" I asked, considering she had a show last night.

"Magic," grinned Dani, "and a time difference."

I finished my shift and we ordered food to go. It was a cool, fall morning and we decided to take our breakfast to a park near by. We found a picnic bench next to a pond and sat on top.

"How'd the show go last night?" I asked.

"Good, I think I might have been a little distracted though. I almost messed up the words a couple times," answered Dani, taking a sip of her drink.

"Imagine when we have our first fight, you'll have to reschedule your whole week," I teased, nudging her shoulder.

"Or we could just not fight," Dani nudged back.

"Or we could just make up after," I winked.

We leaned in and kissed each other for the first time since she arrived back in New York. I moved closer, placing my hand on her leg. She cradled my cheek in her hand.

"I like being close to you," Dani whispered against my lips.

"Good," I answered, deepening our kiss.

Luckily, a runner came around the corner and pulled us out of our world before we completely lost ourselves in our perfect moment. We broke our kiss but not our closeness. I wrapped my arm around Dani's and laced our fingers together.

"So, I guess I should explain what the paper did a horrible job of doing," Dani said, quietly.

"You don't have to. Everyone has a past. It's just unfortunate that yours is constantly being judged and exploited," I said.

"I know. But if we're going to do this then I want you to know everything and that includes my past," explained the blonde.

"Okay," I said, turning to face her but still holding on to her hand.

"When I went on my first tour, I let myself develop feelings for one of my dancers. She led me on for a while. We were pretty serious, I really felt like there was a connection. I gave her everything and I told her even more. I was completely in love.' Dani looked out at the pond. She paused for a second.

"Anyway, after the tour, I had given her access to my bank account and shortly after, she decided she had had enough. She quit dancing, emptied my account and left a horrible email breaking up with me, which was then leaked to the media. I wasn't even bothered by the money, I mean, I was annoyed but it was just an expense account she didn't even make off with a lot. She was just so cold hearted. It crushed me," she wiped a tear away.

"Dani, I'm so sorry," I tried, unsure of what to say.

She smiled at me, "it's okay. It was for the best. Everything happens for a reason."

She kissed my knuckles, "it was hard to open myself to others after that. I haven't really had a meaningful relationship since. I love love. I love being in love and the idea of love, but sometimes the thought of being hurt like that again, is overwhelming. That's why this was so crazy. The moment I saw you in that alley, I felt something that I haven't felt in forever. I wasn't sure I'd ever feel it again, but then we kissed and it shot through me like electricity."

It was my turn to wipe away a tear.

"I know all these feelings. I've been through shitty break ups, especially my latest, and the thought of never feeling like again has crossed my mind multiple times. But every time you simply look at me that feeling envelops my whole body," I said, feeling it as I spoke.

"When I heard your voice on the phone yesterday, I knew something was wrong right away. Then when I read the article, I was worried it would scare you off. Being with me isn't the easiest thing sometimes. There's a lot of stuff that comes along with it, publicity, cameras, reporters, rumors."

"I know. But that's a small price to pay if it means I get to know you," I replied. "I just need to stay away from gossip magazines. I may have freaked out at first."

Dani laughed, "so did I the first time I saw myself. We just need to be able to communicate. I've only spent a little time with you but I already know that you're amazing. The gossip rags will have nothing on you."

I smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

"But seriously," she looked at me, "you didn't listen to my music until a couple weeks ago?" 


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi friends! Sorry this update has taken longer than usual. It has been a crazy week and I may or may not have written three different versions of this chapter before finally writing the best fit. I hope you all had a safe and exciting Halloween! Have a great weekend and thanks again for the amazing comments and reviews!**

"Auntie Tana, when is Dani coming to visit again?" my niece was drawing a picture of my girlfriend on stage. It had been a couple weeks since Dani had been in New York last and Myka was not the only one who missed her.

"Hopefully soon, Kiddo. You miss her?" I asked, leaning over her at the table to see her drawing.

Myka nodded as she added birds to Dani's arm.

"Me too bud."

I sat down beside her and started doodling.

"We could send her these," suggested Myka. "In school, my teacher said before email, people used to send cards and letters to their friends."

I smiled thinking how different the generations were.

"That's right. Now when I get mail it's usually bills, so it's not as fun. I bet Dani would like to see something in her mail that wasn't a bill huh?"

My niece nodded in agreement. I pulled out my phone and text Clive to get her address and went back to coloring my heart. I added our initials in it, knowing it was completely dorky but would put that smile, I loved so much, on Dani's face.

Once we were finished, we put our drawings into an envelope and walked to the mailbox. I picked Myka up so she could drop it in and we decided to stop for some frozen yogurt. Half way through our treat, I realized the time and reached for my phone to call Dani and wish her luck before her show. I checked all my pockets and my purse and found that I had left my phone at Ana's.

"Dammit," I mumbled, before I could catch myself. Myka looked at me with a big grin and tapped her nose with her index finger. The gesture made me laugh and I ruffled her hair.

"Hey! My doo," she said, with a mouth full of yogurt.

After a couple more mouthfuls in silence, the little six year old tilted her head and looked at me.

"Auntie? What do you think I would look like with blue hair?"

"Blue hair?" I said with a thoughtful look as I tried to figure out how young I was when I wanted to change my hair. "I don't know, I think it could be fun, we'd have to ask Mama first."

I thought about how Ana would react to this. I figured it'd be one extreme or another. "We'll call her when we get home," I replied

When we got back to Myka's, I went straight to my phone. I had three missed calls from Dani. I looked at the clock; she would already be on stage.

"Myka want to call Dani with me?" I called to her in the other room.

She came running through the door, smiles for days.

"It'll just be a message because she's already on stage. Okay?"

I FaceTimed Dani's phone not realizing we were leaving a message, but figured it would go to her voicemail anyway.

"Hello Miss Santana," answered Clive rather loudly.

"Clive? Should I be concerned that you're answering my girlfriends phone?"

"No Miss, Miss Lovato was, concerned, shall we say, that you hadn't returned her previous phone call. She asked me to hold it should you call."

"She was worried about me?" I asked, feeling my heart warm.

"Yes ma'am."

"Well, we were just going to leave a message, I'll call back."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, I have very strict orders to keep you on the phone," replied Clive.

"For the whole show Clive? Isn't that a little crazy?" I asked.

"Miss," said Clive.

"Well, can we watch the show at least?"

"Of course Miss," said Clive, turning the phone so we could see the stage from the side.

"Auntie! It's like we're there again!" exclaimed Myka.

I smiled as Myka held the phone. We watched as Dani skipped across the stage in the middle of Heart Attack. Myka was quietly humming along, with the grin she wore at the concert. The song ended and the band was jamming. The next thing we knew, Dani was staring back at us.

"Hello my sweet cupcake," she said, as she caught her breath.

"Hi Dani! We're watching your show on Tana's phone!"

"That's amazing," she answered, as her shirt was pulled over her head and she was standing in a tank top. "Where is Tana?"

"I'm here!" I said, poking my head into the shot. Dani's smile got a little bigger. A new shirt was pulled back on.

"Hey you, everything okay?" she asked, having a sip of water.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't call before. I forgot I had to rush over here after class. Can we talk after the show?" I asked, watching her push in her earpiece.

"Sounds perfect, I can't wait," she looked back at Myka. "Bye Squirt! I'll get you tickets to another show. But for now, Clive will hold this phone for as long as you want, for an extra tip, right Clive?" she said, gently hitting his shoulder and winking at him.

"I'll talk to you after San!" she yelled as she ran back on stage.

Myka and I leaned back into the couch and watched a couple more songs. She eventually fell asleep listening to 'Warrior'. I slipped the phone from her hand and got Clive's attention.

"Thanks for doing that Clive," I said into the phone.

"No problem Miss, anything for Miss Myka," he replied.

"Have a goodnight," I said, hanging up. 

I was working the fourth evening shift in a row with Kurt. Rachel's hours had been cut back since she was busy with _Funny Girl_.

"Would you stop checking, you know the schedule doesn't go up until eight," said Kurt, watching me go back and forth between the counter and the break room.

"I just want to know because if I don't work for a couple days in a row, I could fly down to see Dani," I replied.

"Oooh, that's cute. A little surprise visit? Who woulda thought, Santana Lopez. A romantic," he said dreamily.

"It's not romantic. She's just come up here for the last couple visits. I figure it's my turn to travel," I shrugged.

"Or you miss her so much, you can't wait for her next visit!" said Kurt, eyeing me.

I couldn't hide the smile "Okay, okay," I said, holding my hands up. "I miss her."

"You're so swooning."

I tried to ignore him and went back to filling the saltshakers.

My phone rang as I walked back into the break room. It was Ana.

"Hey, what's up?" I answered.

"You're niece just informed me that she wants blue hair and that Auntie said she would help if I said it was okay," said Ana.

"At least we didn't just do it," I rationalized. "So, is it?"

"I don't know, I guess. I'd hate to be the one to stifle her individuality and creativity," said Ana, giving in.

Truth be told, it was just really hard to say no to that cute kid.

"You're the best mom ever."

"Mhmmm, do you think you could do this tomorrow while I go out for a coffee?"

I looked at the schedule that was finally up, "why yes I can. Two day shifts and then four days off!"

I picked Myka up from school the next day with the hair dye I picked up on my way. Her face lit up when I opened the bag and we practically ran back to her house.

She sat surprisingly still for a six-year-old while the dye was on her hair. I took the opportunity to search for flights to Dani's next tour stop in North Carolina.

"Am I done yet?" asked Myka.

"Another couple of minutes Squirt," I answered as I booked my flight. By the time I finished, Myka's hair was looking very blue.

"Okay, let's go rinse that out."

She held her head over the bathtub while I washed her hair. It almost looked lighter on the ends; it was cute. I dried her hair and styled it a little for her and she loved it. She couldn't wait to show her mom.

We went back downstairs and made some dinner. Myka kept playing with her hair trying to see the color without a mirror.

"You look good kid," I said, with a wink.

"Do you think Mama will like it?

"Like what?" said Ana, walking into the kitchen.

"Mama! Look!" Myka jumped off her chair and spun around making her hair fan out.

"Oh my goodness, look at my beautiful girl. You're hair looks so good," she said, picking her up and giving her a kiss.

We all sat down and had dinner together. It was nice to have a home cooked meal with family, but I caught myself wondering what it would be like to have Dani beside me.

After cleaning up, I said my goodbyes and headed home to pack. My flight left the day after tomorrow and would get me to Dani's tour bus before she woke up. I had been working with Clive so I could keep it a surprise. He said he'd be more than happy to pick me up at the airport.

The next day, my shift dragged and dragged. I had two customers complain and get angry. It took everything in me to not lose my cool. Finally, it was over and I was walking home when an unknown number popped up on my phone, wondering if it was Dani using a different phone, I answered.

"Hello?"

There was no answer right away.

"Hello?" I repeated. Then I heard, quiet muffled sobs.

"Myka?" I asked, recognizing the sounds.

"Auntie?"

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"S-s-school," she got out before the full on crying began.

"Hello?" came an unfamiliar voice.

"Hi? Who is this? What's going on?" I asked, feeling the panic rise in my chest.

"Miss Lopez? We couldn't get in touch with Myka's mom and you were the emergency contact."

"Okay? What happened?" I asked, getting impatient.

"Myka had a run in with some of the girls. They made a few comments about her new hair and it's upset her quite a bit."

I let my head fall, feeling horrible for my niece. Kids could be so mean.

"Well, can I come get her?" I asked, not sure what else to do.

"That might be best," answered who I assumed was a school staff member.

"I'll be fifteen minutes, can I speak with her please?"

"Of course, see you soon."

I heard the sniffles return.

"Hey baby girl, I'm going to come and get you okay? Just sit tight."

"Okay," she whispered.

I hailed the closest taxi and headed over to her school. I called Ana and finally got in touch with her at work. I explained the situation and told her I would take her home.

As I walked through the doors of the office, Myka rushed into my arms, setting off another wave of tears.

"Hey Pumpkin," I said, softly picking her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face into my shoulder.

I turned to the woman who had joined us.

"Hi, you must be Santana," she said extending her hand. "I'm Shelly Crawford, vice principle."

"Thanks for calling," I said taking her hand. "What's happening with the girls who bullied her?"

"They've been split up and are in different offices. They'll be given detentions and their parents will be contacted, we have a zero tolerance when it comes to bullying."

"Good, I'd like to be kept up to date with what happens," I said, not wanting this to be swept under the rug.

I rubbed Myka's back as she continued to let the tears fall. I nodded toward the principal and headed out.

"Want to get a milkshake to cheer you up Squirt?" I felt her head nod and smiled knowing she couldn't turn down a milkshake. I flagged down another cab and headed back to the diner. I text Kurt to let him know the situation and said we'd be there in five.

When we walked into the diner, Kurt had two huge milkshakes with all the fixings. Myka, who usually ran to Kurt, didn't let go of my hand, as he made his way over.

"Miss Myka! You look gorgeous! I love your blue hair!" he said beaming at her as he crouched down. "I think I have just the thing to cheer you up."

Myka smiled and followed him to the booth with our shakes.

"Thanks Kurt," she said, quietly taking a sip.

"No problem," he said. He leaned down on the table,  
"You know, I was teased at school. Some people are just mean and you need to be the bigger person. I know it sucks but don't sink to their level. Or let them ruin your hair that you like so much."

She smiled and nodded at him. I mouthed a thank you and he left to tend to his other tables.

"I think I know what will really cheer you up," I said, pulling out my phone. I called Dani.

"Hey, do you have a second? I think someone needs to talk to you," I said, knowing Dani always cheered me up.

"I have all the seconds in the world," she smiled.

I turned the phone towards Myk and she half smiled and waved as she took the phone. A couple more tears fell as she explained to Dani what happened. For a second, I thought I saw Dani wipe at a tear as well.

"You know what," Dani said, "sometimes people can be really mean and they don't think their words are hurting someone but they are. You did the right thing by telling your teacher and calling Santana."

Dani was so good with Myka. The way she cared was never a show. She genuinely wanted to help her. It was one of her many amazing qualities that attracted me to her.

While listening to Dani, you could automatically see Myk's mood change and her normal, happy self come back.

"And your hair looks beautiful! I love it! Do you still love it?" asked the blonde.

Myka nodded, "I love it so much. I just don't want people to laugh at me."

"Sunshine, if you love it, it doesn't matter what other people do! It's okay to be different! In fact, it's better to be different, it's more fun that way."

Myka agreed with her and they both smiled at one another. Their smiles could brighten up the darkest of my days. As much as I wanted to talk to Dani, I knew I would spill my plan to see her tomorrow so I quickly said goodbye and that I would call her later.

Myka and I said goodbye to Kurt and headed to her house to meet her mom.

"So, you going to keep your blue hair? Or should we put it back to the way it was?" I asked, not wanting my niece to be worried about school on Monday.

"I think I'm going to keep it a little longer," said my niece, looking up at me.

"Good, 'cause I love it," I replied, swinging our hands.

"Race you home?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't kno-" I said, as I sprinted off down the sidewalk with a head start. 

I tried to get all my stuff into one bag and my purse, however, I ended up stuffing my dance bag full as well.

"Geez, I thought you were only going for four days?" asked Rachel, as she got ready for bed.

"I am. But I need multiple outfits."

"Like costume changes?" she asked, with a raised brow.

"I don't know. I get really nervous when I fly and I just started packing everything," I admitted.

"Just make sure your phone is charged and full of Dani's sweet voice and you'll be fine."

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd start to think you have a crush on Dani," I said, crossing my arms.

Rachel laughed, "who doesn't? A: she's amazing. B: she's got a voice of an angel and C: she's smokin' hot. Who hasn't thought of those eyes?"

I laughed with my mouth open in shock at her honesty and shook my head.

"I'm going to bed," I said, waving my hand in the air. "Try not to think of my girlfriend when you get there."

I hugged her on my way by.

"Have a safe flight and a good trip," said Rachel as she returned the hug. I stepped into the bathroom and heard her call to me.

"Tell Dani I say hi!"

Flying by yourself is terrifying I decided. There's no one to squeeze hands with or ask what every weird noise is. There's no one to tell you it's just the landing gear pulling up or coming down. I was not a fan. I got through the airport with no problems and my nerves had settled back down. I grabbed my luggage and headed out to meet Clive. He was standing there with a sign that read Lopez. I walked up to him with a smile.

"Really?" I asked.

"It just seemed fun," he said, looking around at the rest of the drivers with signs. I hugged him and he took my suitcase. Clive and I had become good friends with all time we spend travelling together with Dani and backstage. He was a good listener too. I sat up front with him while he told me about their travels to North Carolina from South. We chatted the whole time, he explained where the bus was and told me we weren't far. As we turned a corner, the huge tour bus came into view. It was parked in a parking lot next to a shoreline. The way it was angled, it would be perfect for Dani to see the sunrise before she closed her eyes. Clive pulled up beside it and handed me the keys.

"I have some errands to run, call me if you need anything," he said.

"Thanks Clive," I said, getting out.

I walked up to the front door and stuck the key in quietly. It clicked and I tried to pull it open without a sound. It was dark inside with all the blinds shut. I felt around until I ended up in the back bedroom. I lifted a blind a little so I wouldn't scare her. She was sleeping with her back to me. I took my shoes off and climbed into bed behind her. I barely had my arm around her when she elbowed me in the boob and almost fell out of bed.

"Oh my god! You scared me to death!" breathed Dani. She had one hand over her heart and the other on her hip. I sat up holding my boob.

"Side note: maybe a knock would be a better surprise," I smiled.

"I can't believe you're here right now," said Dani, crawling back into bed.

"I missed you and I couldn't wait," I admitted.

"How long do I get you for?"

"Four days," I answered.

Dani smiled, "hmmm." She wrapped her arms around me and laid her head on my chest.

"We could go sight seeing," she said, her eyes closed.

"I'm pretty good right here," I said, cuddling in, "it was an early flight."

We woke up still tangled together. Dani had an arm around my waist and I leaned back into her embrace.

"Good Morning," she whispered.

"Morning," I said, finding her hand and lacing our fingers.

"Well, late morning, I guess. I have a meet and greet before tonight's show, which by the way, is being streamed live across the world," she said, squeezing my hand with excitement.

"Really? That's crazy," I answered, amazed.

"Yeah, so you could come or you can hang here. Totally up to you," she replied, kissing my cheek.

"How do you do it all? You've barely slept?"

"The fans keep me going, they're pretty FANtastic," Dani answered, getting up from bed.  
"See what I did there?" She was grinning as she stepped into the bathroom.

I laughed and rolled into the pillow; I am definitely swooning.

I heard the shower and got up for a glass of water. My plan was to skip the autograph session and meet up with her after for the sound check. I sat down at the table and was flipping through a magazine.

"So, what's the plan?" I heard when the door opened.

I looked up at the same time my hand flew to my mouth to stop the water from escaping. Dani stood there in her towel with her confident grin, the one she has for times like this. I swallowed the water and cleared my throat, twice.

"Um," I said, wiping the table of the little drops. "I thought I'd skip the autograph sesh and meet up with you for sound check."

She slowly walked over to where I was sitting, her smirk growing as my butterflies were becoming unbearable. She leaned down; our lips met and with a touch of her tongue, she stood again.

"Sounds perfect," she said, backing up into the bedroom.

The heat in my face was spreading to the rest of my body. I smiled to myself realizing it was only a simple kiss that she did that with.

"You're too easy," she called out, laughing.

I covered my face to hide my goofy smile. She does that on purpose I reminded myself.

I finished my errands and Clive said he would take me to meet Dani. We pulled up just as they were closing the doors. Clive came around and opened my door. I looked at him confused.

"They just closed," I said, pointing at the doors where a huge cardboard cutout of Dani stood.

"Closed to the public," he winked.

I got out and followed him inside. There was still a small line up of people in front of the table Dani sat at. I stood at the back. I really needed to step up my game I thought as the line dwindled down. Debating whether I should go for shock factor or cuteness, I threw caution to the wind. She was taking a drink of water and talking to someone at the store when I walked up to the table. I pulled the neck of my shirt down so the top of my pink bra was showing.

"Excuse me, Miss Lovato," I said, leaning against the table. She turned around, sharpie in hand.

"Hi, sorry. I-"

"Can you sign this please?" I said, leaning in even farther across the table.

"I...um...mhmmm," nodded Dani, as she stood up to reach.

"Well, I'm glad I still have it. I was starting to get concerned when I'm around you," I winked as she sat back down fanning herself.

"That's what that feels like huh?"

"It's weird right?" I agreed, knowing the feeling all too well. I walked around and kissed her cheek before sitting on the table facing her.  
"How'd it go?"

"Good. That was my first boob-book! My first, oh my god," she stumbled on her words, looking around. "Can I grab another cold water please?"

I laughed a little. It was nice to see Dani finally on the other side of this feeling, her confidence never left though.

"Okay, whew. Thank you," she said, accepting water. "Well, I missed you." She smiled.

"Missed you," I smiled back.

"Let's go to the car, I have a present for Myka and it's hotter than hell in here."

"For Myka?" I asked as she took my hand and led me through the back.

"I got my people to get me an extra streaming package for tonight so she can watch the show," explained Dani.

"Aww, that was nice."

"There's more, but she needs to watch the concert to see it."

I raised an eyebrow, a little confused at what she had in mind.

"Don't worry, she'll love it," she beamed. "Well, I hope so at least." 

We called Myka and told her the news. She was super excited to see another concert and for her surprise. We hung up and headed to sound check. I sat off to the side and watched Dani. She allowed fans to come in and watch their check. It gave her time to tune up and joke around with the crowd at the same time. I loved seeing her on stage. Once Dani was done, we grabbed a quick bite for dinner before she excused herself saying she needed extra time before the show today, for Myka. I gave her a good luck kiss and headed back to the bus to change for tonight's show. I called Kurt and Rachel to check in and give them the access card to the live streaming. They were both super excited and said they had planned a viewing party. Judging by the loft and the decorations, it was going to be epic. I grabbed my V.I.P pass and made my way back to the stadium with Clive, hoping to steal a few seconds alone with Dani.

Clive and I were hanging out backstage and had yet to see the star of the show strut by. It wasn't long before we realized, the opening acts were on stage. Clive and I moved to our seats at the front. I was standing up dancing a little, when the lights went black. I loved this part of the show, the audience goes crazy, the lights start flashing and Dani makes her incredible entrance. I waited for the flashing lights, but they never came. The audience eventually quieted down and was waiting for something to happen. Then the movement on the stage began to create a buzz. The lights began flashing and the bass started booming. She rose from beneath the stage, but with the lights flashing, only her strong silhouette could be seen. The lights died and the bass stopped and her voice filled the arena.

"Baby when they look up at the sky, we'll be shooting stars just passing by. You'll be coming home with me tonight, we'll be burning up like neon lights."

Neon lights started flashing all over the stadium and the crowd started a steady clap. The stage was flashing with color.

Everything died down once again and in an instant she could be seen as the bass shook through me. A single light was on her. My breath hitched in my throat as her blue hair caught the single beam. She looked up and out at the crowd, which erupted.

"This one's for my girl Myka guys!" she said into her microphone before starting the song again.

The crowd was on their feet going bananas. I couldn't believe she did that for Myka. The tears that were threatening eventually escaped and I quickly brushed them away. Clive handed me a tissue and smiled, his knowing smile.

The rest of the show was just as amazing. The energy coming through the crowd was phenomenal. Dani killed it, I was so proud.

Before the last encore was finished, I slipped to the back and found Dani's dressing room. The roar of the crowd vibrated the walls. I heard Dani yell goodnight and I grabbed a bottle of water for her. She opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hey!" she said, stepping in and closing the door.

"Hey," I repeated, handing her the water.

"Thank you. Well? What do you think?" she asked, catching her breath.

"I think you have blue hair," I stated.

"Yes."

"I think you're incredible," I said, moving closer.

"Do you think Myka will like it?"

"I think she'll love it," I nodded, sliding my hands around to Dani's back. "Thank you, you're so sweet and amazing."

She smiled back at me, "how many girls in Myka's class will have blue hair on Monday?"

I smiled and leaned my head against hers.

"I'm going to meet you back in the trailer. I want to do the after party thing, but I have a surprise for you," I explained.

"Really? For me?" she said with a big grin. "Okay, I'll meet you back there in just over an hour?"

I nodded and watched her leave to meet her agent. I may have got her this afternoon, but I'll never get over the feeling she gives me with just one look or after just one touch.

I wanted to make Dani dinner. We always went out for something to eat after one of her shows, so this time I thought we could stay in. Dinner was almost ready; I was waiting on the last dish to settle after bringing it out of the oven. I lit a couple candles and spread them throughout the kitchen, leaving a couple on the table. I dimmed the lights and as I was pouring the wine, Dani walked in.

"Wow, San. You didn't have to do this. We could have called it in. I feel bad that you missed out on a party to come cook for me," Dani looked around at the atmosphere of the trailer.

"I can't buy you expensive gifts, but I can do little things like this to show you how much I appreciate you. You're so selfless and genuine. You're always looking out for other people; you're the complete opposite of me but you make me want to be a better person," I explained trying to keep the sappiness to a minimum.

I took Dani's hands in mine, "I'm really falling for you; and its scary and exciting at the same time. You make me extremely happy."

"I feel the same way," said Dani.

"Good." I gently held her face and brought her lips to mine. It was meant to be a simple kiss but the electricity pulled us closer together. Our bodies closed the gap between one another and my hands were tangling themselves in her blue hair. Our breathing became faster and faster, my heart was beating against my chest, I was sure Dani would feel it. We broke our kiss for only a second, our eyes never leaving the others. Before I had a chance to think about it, my heart made the next move before my head could even understand it.

"I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

TWC7

**A/N: Hi Friends, I don't know what got into me. But I feel like this chapter should come with a fluff overload warning! Lol. I think it was the rain and the blanket I was curled up under while writing. Thanks for the comments; they made the rainy days ten times better. I hope you enjoy it!**

"San?" said Dani in a hushed voice. I felt her warm hand on my shoulder.  
"I'm so sorry. I feel horrible," she said rubbing my back. I felt her sit down next to me. I lifted my head and opened my eyes.  
"The after party went longer than I wanted. I couldn't get away, we had exec's fly in and they were talking business I had to be there for."

I looked around and saw the small candles I had lit flicker and go out.

"What time is it?" I asked, realizing I must have fell asleep waiting for her to come back to the bus.

"Just after four a.m., everything looks so good. I'm sorry I missed it," she said, looking disappointed.

I sat up straighter at the kitchen table as my dream came back to me. I looked at Dani as the words "I love you" played in my head. Did I dodge a bullet? Or is my heart trying to tell me something?

"It's totally fine," I said, placing my hand on her leg beside me. "I can heat everything up. You haven't missed a thing, except for my nap. Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving," she smiled. She leaned over and kissed me before standing up to let me out.

"Do you mind if I grab a shower while you do that?"

"Not at all, it'll be ready when you are," I smiled back her, watching her disappear into the bathroom. I leaned over the sink as I replayed my dream. The feeling in my stomach as the words flew out of my mouth. I wished Dani had been a few minutes later so I could have seen how she reacted to that sentence. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and started to reheat our dinner. I grabbed the extra candles and relit them as well. Dani emerged from the shower as I was placing everything on the table. She gave me a quick smile before slipping into the bedroom to change. She came back out in rolled up track pants and a long sleeve ACDC t-shirt.

"Hey," she said, stopping at the table, "what can I do?"

"Um, want to grab us some drinks? I think I'm just going to change. You look really comfy."

"Sure," she grabbed my hand as I walked by her. "You look amazing, by the way." She pulled me closer and slid her hands up my arms, which eventually found themselves in my hair as she brought our lips together. A ridiculously, real sense of déjà vu flooded over my stomach and me. This is what love is right? My thoughts were racing. Should I tell her? Will it scare her? It scares me; of course it'll scare her. I pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"I-I'm going to-food's getting cold," I stuttered, pointing to the back room.

When I came out, Dani had lifted the blinds at the table and was waiting for me.

"Looks like we're just in time," she nodded toward the sun that was just cresting over the edge of the world.

"Perfect," I said, sitting next to her to enjoy the view. We both got some food and sat back.

"So, we had a change in plans. That's what the exec's were discussing," said Dani, before swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Okay, let's hear it," I said.

"Ellen wants me to preform at her live show in New Orleans on Monday," she said, taking a sip of her water, which she spit out when I shrieked.

"Ellen? Like Ellen DeGeneres?" I asked excitedly.

"Do you know another Ellen?" she asked, grinning and wiping her mouth.

"That's crazy! I'm so excited. I mean, I can come right?" I asked, getting ahead of myself.

"Thing is, there's a crew cap," she said, turning to face me. "Which means, we can only have so many people there because of the venue size."

"Oh, right. Way to get my hopes up," I said, pushing her shoulder.

"I never said you couldn't come. I just said you could come as a crewmember. You'd have to come as my girlfriend," said Dani, looking into my eyes.

"And like officially announce it to the world?"

"It would give Ellen permission to ask about it and possibly get you on camera," she said, shrugging.

"Are you okay with this?" I asked.

"Me? I'm always in camera. It's you I'm worried about."

"I meant the announcement," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Have we not already been made public by that tabloid?" she asked, taking another bite. "And aren't you my girlfriend?"

"Yes, but this source seems a little more reliable," I argued.

"I have no problem showing you off as my girlfriend. It's you that will have the possible TV debut."

I smiled, feeling nervous. But the excitement of meeting Ellen quickly took over.

Just then, Clive climbed into the drivers seat and announced our departure in ten minutes. Dani helped me clean up and blow out the candles before retreating to the bedroom to sleep off the ride.

Hours later, we woke up in Atlanta, Georgia. Dani had to run to sound check just after we arrived behind the arena. She rolled out of bed and got changed. She tried fixing her blue hair, but mumbled something about it needing professional help. I laughed to myself as she finished getting ready. Before she dashed inside to the arena, she crawled back on the bed.

"I wish I could stay right here," she said, cuddling into my side.

"Me too," I replied, kissing her face. There was a loud knock on the door.

"I'm going to need one hot second!" she yelled in the direction of the bus door. I chuckled to myself.

"I'm sure you can fit a nap in later," I suggested.

"I hope so. This five hour sleep is killing me," she said, climbing on top of me on all fours. Her blue hair hung around my face and she leaned down and kissed me.

"You know, I could get used to this coming 'home' to you business," she grinned.

"Really?"

There was another knock on the door. She hung her head and I leaned up to kiss her forehead.

"Better get going before they bust that door down," I suggested. She smiled and jumped off the bed. I heard her explaining a hot second to security as she shut the door. I laughed and pulled the blankets over my head.

After checking my phone and calling the loft to check in, I got up to get ready hoping I'd be able to catch the end of the sound check. When I opened the door, Clive stood up from the picnic bench.

"Good afternoon Miss, heading to catch the end?" he asked, nodding to the arena.

"If I'm lucky," I smiled back.

He held the bus door and followed me in.

"I'm sure I can find it Clive. I don't want to take away from your personal time," I said, feeling bad that he had to follow me everywhere.

"It's probably best if I come Miss. It's been known for fans to get a little excited before a show," he replied.

"Excited?" I asked, tilting my head, hoping for a further explanation.

"Excited, Miss," he repeated. I rolled my eyes at his answer.

I heard Dani's singing come to an end and her voice talking to the fans. It sounded like there were more than usual at her checks. I turned the corner and stepped between the curtains on the side of the stage. There was the usual amount of fans, they were just much more loud. As Dani was talking to them, she climbed down in between the stage and metal barrier holding them back from the stage. She began signing autographs on anything from pictures to shirts to arms. Her huge smile never leaving her face, I loved watching her with the audience. She was so thankful for them. I waited off to the side while Dani gave an autograph to every single fan. Security cleared the people out and Dani climbed back on stage.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were waiting for me or I would of-"

"Not signed someone's stuff?" I smiled at her, knowing it wasn't true.

She laughed, "Well, I at least would have brought you out."

"Mhmm," I nodded as we walked backstage.

"How's my nap time looking?" she asked, with a yawn.

"It's quarter to six, maybe a quick cat nap?" I shrugged.

She leaned her head on my shoulder and laced her fingers with mine.

"What about leftovers in bed?"

"Deal," I said, kissing her head. We walked out back with security not far behind.

"I'll warm the plates and meet you in there," I said, wishing she could get more sleep.

The microwave beeped and I carried the plates in on a tray. It looked like she was sleeping so when she spoke I almost dropped the entire tray. "You're going to leave on my night off."

"That's two nights away. Shouldn't you be focusing on your show?" I asked, sliding a plate closer to her so she could at least eat.

"We could do this together, you know," she said, tilting her head.

"Go on your tour together?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows.

"Yeah, you could be my groupie," she smiled.

"What about my job?" I asked.

"What about it?"

"I need money to travel, dork," I said, throwing a crumb at her.

"I make more than enough to cover our travel," she said, throwing it back at me.

"So I'm just going to follow you around like a puppy?" I asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"No, it would just be nice to spend more time with you," she said, resting her head against the pillow sweetly.

I smiled at her cuteness, "what if I get bored?"

"Of my music?" Dani asked, shocked.

"Of this tour bus?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm sure I could find you a job somewhere in the tour."

"Like security? I think I'd be pretty tough security," I said, flexing my muscles.

Dani laughed and ate her dinner. She left shortly after. But not before she tried to persuade me by wrestling me off the bed.

I cleaned myself up and changed into a dress before following Clive backstage. I was starting to know more people on Dani's crew so it was fun to come back stage and see everyone.  
I was standing in my usual spot, watching the group before Dani when someone grabbed my arm and pulled into a room behind the curtains. I tried to scream but their hand covered my mouth in an instant. I was about to step on their foot when I looked down and saw very high heels on my target. I wiggled around to see Dani holding her hands up.

"Holy damn, you scared the hell out of me!" I squealed.

"I just wanted one second with you alone before the show without people around," said Dani, moving closer.

"What? Security?" I said, looking around for someone to notice I was missing.

"Yeah, I guess I'll have to have a chat with them," she smiled against my lips. "I told you I like to clear my head before a show."

"Yeah, well I didn't know that included kidnapping," I said, between kisses. I cupped the smaller woman's face.

"I guess it was kind of hot," I took a breath, "once I found out it was you."

We felt the vibrations stop, rather than heard the music end.

"That's my cue," said Dani, pressing my hands above my head and pushing her body against mine. She kissed me once more, hard.

"Have a good show," I said, her hand falling from mine as she walked out.

Her show was amazing, as usual. She took a couple more breaks than usual to build up some energy. I was glad she had tomorrow off so she could get some solid rest.

She finished one of her songs and began talking to the crowd like she normally did.

"How's it going so far guys?" she asked the crowd, who erupted in cheers in return.

"I'm kind of feeling guilty tonight because I feel like I could be better for you guys," she explained into the microphone. The crowd was still going crazy as she explained further.  
"See, I'm kind of tired because I had to travel here and get ready in one day." She could barely be heard over the audience.

"I just want to make it up to you guys and let you guys come right up to the stage," I watched the fans in the front rows bound, excitedly, toward the stage.

"Okay, okay! You guys have to be safe though!" Dani urged the audience. She was bent over shaking the hands of some crowd when out of nowhere; a girl appeared on stage and ran at Dani. She wrapped her arms around the singers' neck as they both fell over.

"Oh my god!" I yelled, starting to run out on stage. I didn't make it two feet before Clive had his arm around my waist.

"Clive! Let me go! They're rushing the stage! I have to get her out of there!" I yelled, as I struggled to break his grip.

"Miss, security is on it. Let them handle it. If you go out there, they'll swarm you but may not be as friendly since your standing between them and Dani."

I kept struggling but stopped when I heard Dani's voice.

"Whew! Didn't think that would happen," she said, pulling a piece of hair off her face. "Whoa," what's happening?" Dani asked, seeing me struggle with Clive. He let me go and I fixed my dress as Dani walked over.

"She was going to rush the stage as well. As per my orders, I kept her away from the fans," explained Clive.

"Thank you Clive," said Dani, giving him the microphone to hold. She held my face in her hands.

"I'm fine. They just got a little excited is all," she said calmly, as if nothing happened. "I'm fine."

I was about to agree with her when I saw the blood on her collarbone. My eyes grew huge and I pushed her jacket up.

"You're bleeding!" I said, finding the cut.

Dani looked down, "it's okay. Her zipper on her coat sleeve scratched me that's all." She wiped at it with a napkin and looked at me.  
"See just a scratch, they just get a little carried away sometimes."

"Sometimes? This has happened before?" I asked, my concern obvious, looking between the two of them.

"San, it's totally cool. I promise. I have to go back out there," she said quickly, kissing my cheek and grabbing her microphone.

"Back out there? But-"

She had already started a song by the time I was half way done my sentence.

I looked back at Clive, who shrugged his shoulders. I watched her sing as I tried to catch my breath.

For the last hour, I watched the crowd more than I paid attention to the rest of the show. The thought of something happening to my Dani was freaking me out. She said her goodbyes to the crowd and walked off stage, waving. Her team met her, giving her a bottle of water and a towel. Her agent joined her and told her something that seemed to make her quite happy. She walked over to me with a shy smile.

"Are you still worried?"

"Can you blame me?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"They would never hurt me on purpose. They're fans."

"What if you get a crazy fan?"

"It's fine," she said, shaking her head, "she's already here, back stage."

It took me a moment before I realized she was referring to me, "very funny."

She grinned and linked her arm in mine as we walked to the back of the arena where the bus was parked. I stepped ahead to open the door and was met with a huge outcry of screams from fans that had found her bus. We were surrounded by security in a heartbeat and escorted right to the door. Dani waved as she walked, so calm and collected.

Once inside, I turned to lock the door.

"You don't think the two big security guys standing on the other side would be enough?"

"Nothing wrong with a plan B," I mumbled, looking out at the people.

"You know, it's kind of cute how protective of me you are," she smiled, pulling out another bottle of water from the fridge.

"Well, someone has to be," I shrugged. "Maybe I should be staying and beefing up your security, bust out a little Lima Heights knowledge for these guys."

"Will you wear those heels to do it in? Because they make your legs look great," answered Dani, sitting at the kitchen table with her chin in her hand.

"I'm serious," I said, trying not to laugh with her.

"So am I!"

After the crowd died down and it was safe to drive, Clive drove us down to the Ellen Show location. The show started at eleven on Monday and Dani had an interview with her as well as a performance. Her agent gave her the night off, since she was so exhausted. Leaving now, would save us traffic time and allow Dani a full days rest. We slept most of the way there, once Dani was done teasing me about worrying. I finally fell asleep wrapped in her arms, convinced no one could get to her.

We woke up in New Orleans; it was hard falling asleep in one place and waking up in another. I don't know how Dani did it. I could see the outdoor stage from the back window. I was hoping I could get to tour around the city Sunday, but I knew Dani needed down time. I looked over at the sleeping woman I shared a bed with. She was sound asleep with her fist balled up under her chin. I brushed a piece of fallen blue hair from her face and she didn't even stir. She looked so peaceful. I laid back down and fell asleep to the soft breathing next to me.

Sunday, turned out to be living up to its name and was full of sunshine. I woke up before Dani and decided to sneak out to soak up the sun in front of the trailer. Not knowing who was around, I figured it'd be better to go with a sundress instead of the bikini so my underboob didn't make an appearance in the next issue of magazines. Dani woke up late in the afternoon; I was still outside enjoying the warm weather and the sun.

"You look relaxed," she said, joining me on the picnic bench.

"The sun is amazing. It's never this warm in New York or Lima this time of year," I explained.

"We could road trip it to the beach," suggested Dani.

"Really? Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Hell yeah, I'm just going to lounge around here. Might as well switch it up and lounge with my toes in the sand," she smiled.

Once we were ready, Clive drove us to the closest beach. It was perfect. Dani had her bikini on with big sunglasses and an extra large hat. She tried to remain invisible and so far, was doing okay. We stayed at the beach for a couple of hours, collecting seashells, swimming and tanning. Eventually, we got hungry and stopped for food on our way back to the trailer. We spent the rest of the night watching movies in bed with popcorn. It was just what Dani needed to be refreshed for the next part of her tour.

The next morning, we were up early. Dani had her final sound check before the live show and her make up artist was helping me out since there was a chance I'd make it on TV. I had never had someone do my make up for me. It was weird. But it looked amazing. Once Dani was back, they quickly went through their routine of getting ready and we were off to meet Ellen.

She was sitting under a shade tent with Portia, talking to a camera guy. It didn't look like they were taping but we waiting outside the tent anyways.

"Dani!" called Ellen, walking towards us.

"Hey Ellen, it's great to see you again. This is Santana," introduced Dani. Ellen leaned forward and kissed my cheek as she shook my hand.

"It's great to meet you, you're Dani's, friend?" she asked subtly.

"Um, it's so nice to meet you. I'm a big fan. Yes, Dani's friend," I answered, throwing a look Dani's way, who was trying to stop a laugh.

Ellen picked up on it and laughed, "so can I bring this up in the show?"

"I don't know Ellen, I share so much with my fans, something's just need to be kept private," replied Dani.

"Private? You guys were all over the magazines," she argued.

Dani sighed, "Portia! Hi! It's great to see you again," she said, trying to ignore the questions.

Portia came over and introduced herself and we stood chatting until Ellen was called for final touches before the show. We watched the first interview from the shade tent that the blondes were sitting under when we came up. Eventually, Dani was also called for final touches and she squeezed my arm as she walked by. Moments later, she danced out on stage and was sitting chatting with Ellen DeGeneres. I couldn't believe it.

"Hi Dani," said Ellen.

"Hi Ellen," answered Dani, with a huge smile.

"How's the tour going?"

"It's been really great. I love being on tour and getting to meet all my fans. They've all been terrific, my crew and team have been working around the clock, and they're awesome. It's been a really great time," she responded. 

"And now you're in the best place of all right? New Orleans!" The crowd cheered in agreement. "I hear you'll be singing a song for us today?"

Dani nodded, getting up to make her way over to the stage, but Ellen put her hand on her lap and held her back.

"Before we do that," started Ellen, "I have a present for you."

Dani got excited; her last present had been a pillow because Ellen found out about her pillow exchange routine at hotels.

"I hear you just moved into an apartment," asked Ellen.

"Yes, back in LA, its perfect," answered Dani.

"Well, we all know what its like to fill the walls, so I got you this," she pointed to a huge picture of Ellen and Dani from the last time she was on the show.

"Ah, that's awesome!" laughed Dani, "I don't know where I'm going to put it but it's going somewhere!"

"I also got you these," said Ellen, pulling individualized photos of her out of a basket. Dani was still laughing. "And, this," Ellen pulled out one more frame that had our tabloid picture blown up a little. "You know, just in case." Dani laughed and thanked her as they went to commercial. When Ellen returned, she introduced Dani, who was ready to sing Neon Lights. I stayed in the shade tent and was dancing with Portia. I had to admit, I was having a pretty amazing time. We stayed around and watched the rest of the show before heading back to the trailer. Dani needed to speak with her agent and stepped outside, I took this opportunity to look for flights home.

Luckily with the change in plans, I was able to get a flight early Tuesday morning, which would have me home with plenty of time to make my graveyard shift at the diner. Not to mention, I would have one more night with Dani. We decided to have a nice dinner in one of New Orleans fancy restaurants. We were both so full but opted to walk back to the bus. We held hands and walked the boardwalk, looking at stars. It was the perfect ending to our date night. When we got back, Dani put me to bed saying I had an early flight. I didn't want to sleep at all, I was sad that when I woke up I'd be leaving her.

I woke up a couple hours later. It was still dark and Dani was tying up her sneakers.

"What time is it? Are you seriously going for a run right now?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

Dani laughed, "no. Come with me."

I opened my mouth to ask where but she was already up and opening the door. I slipped into my own running shoes and followed her out with a sweater.

"Hey!" she yelled in a whisper from in front of the bus, "this way."

I saw her turn around and squeeze through a fence.

"What the hell?" I mumbled to myself. "She's lost her mind."

I followed after her and squeezed through the same fence. I saw her blue hair run up the stairs to the stage. Once I was up the stairs, I heard her guitar start and my eyes met her sitting, center stage, with her back to where the audience would be if it were a normal time of day. She started singing her song, Lightweight.

"Light in your eyes, I can't even speak. Do you even know how you make me weak?"

I came to a stop and caught my breath. She stood and walked closer to me. The words of the song wrapped around me. I always knew Lightweight was a love song. But having it sung to me, it was a whole knew experience. The emotion, Dani put into her words, took my breath away. I saw her wipe at a tear that had escaped in the middle of her chorus.

"Better be careful what you say, with every word I'm blown away. You're in control of my heart. I'm lightweight. "

She moved her guitar to her back as she slid a hand around my waist and with her other held my hand gently.

"Drowned in your love. It's almost all too much, handle with care, say you'll be there."

She moved us around the stage, as she continued to sing the last verse. When her final run came through to sing, she spun me and brought me back into her. I was speechless when she finished.

"You're amazing," I managed.

"I'm not always the best with feelings and words. That's why my music is so emotional for me. It's an easier way to express myself. But I wanted you to know how I felt before you leave today. I don't trust many people with my heart, but with you it seems so easy," she was still holding my hand. "I fell for you the moment that slushy hit me and I know it's only been a few months, but I've fallen in love with you."

If the song wasn't enough to render me without words, that sentence definitely did it.

"Dani, I-,"

"You don't have to say it back. I just wanted you to know that even though we're sometimes on the opposite ends of the country, my feelings for you only get stronger."

She held my eyes before moving in and kissing my lips. I smiled back at her and we walked back to the trailer.

In the morning, I was packing my things and getting ready. The images of last night replayed over and over in my head. She's in love with me, I thought. She always discusses how guarded she is with her heart; I was still a little surprised when she said it.

"Hey, you ready?" she poked her head in the back. "Clive's backing up the car to load your stuff.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I gave her a sad smile.

"I'll see you soon. I promise, our show moves back over to the east coast in a week or two," she said to comfort me.

I nodded and we carried my stuff out. The drive to the airport was quiet. Dani's fingers played with a ring I wore, while mine drew circles on her leg. Clive pulled up to the gate and got out to lift my suitcase. I turned to Dani.

"I'll miss you," I said.

"Me too," she answered.

"I like you a lot," I said, chickening out.

"I love you too," she replied with a laugh. I smiled, not knowing why I couldn't say those three words. I suddenly had a crazy feeling in my belly. I wasn't sure if it was the thought of flying solo again or saying that sentence. I threw my bags on my shoulder and said goodbye to Clive. I started for the door and turned to watch them pull away, when I went to grab my suitcase, I saw the pillow sitting on top of it.

"Pretend it's me sitting next to you on the plane," said the message Dani had wrote on it, underneath, it was signed, Love, Dani xox. Suddenly all my fears disappeared and I looked to see if I could see the car. They were stuck in line at a stoplight. I dropped my suitcase and ran after them. They started moving but had to stop because of a slow moving pedestrian, I pushed my legs harder.

"Dani!" I called, seeing her window down. They started moving again. "Dani!" I belted out a little louder. I saw her turn in her seat and touch Clive's shoulder, which pulled the car over and switched on his hazard lights. I raced up to the car and had to grab the window to slow me down, I didn't even have time to open the door before I stuck my head in the window.

"I love you. I love you so much," I said, in between breaths. "I don't know what I was thinking. I fell for you in the same moment. I've known it for a while. I've just been too chicken to say anything. My hearts been trying to tell my head, I've been dreaming about telling you. I don't know why I didn't, I love you Dani Lovato." My breath labored not only from the chase, but also from the speech that just poured out of me.

Dani sat up in the car and reached her arms out of the window. She wrapped them around my neck and kissed me. Her confident smile was the last thing I saw before me and my pillow were pulled back into the car.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey People! It's the freakin' weekend! Get excited! Okay, so, pretty excited to share this chapter with you guys. Sorry it took longer than usual. Like normal lately, I had written almost a whole chapter and then changed my mind; it got pretty heavy on the drama and I don't know if I want to take this story down the drama path. Let me know what you guys think. Also, I don't know if you guys know this, but you all write the best reviews, some of them actually make me LOL. I feel your feels and agree that something's should just come with warnings like 'don't read this in the middle of your serious and quiet lecture!' But thank you so much for reviewing and the PM's, I'm open for suggestions or questions. I hope you enjoy it! Have a safe and fun weekend! **

I sat watching Myka inspect every shell I had picked up for her on the beach.

She had never seen the ocean, so seashells were new to her. She didn't understand how something lived inside them.

"Look at this one, if you're super quiet and hold it to your ear, you can hear the ocean in it," I said, holding it up to her ear. She listened intently for a moment and then her face lit up when she heard it.

"That's so cool! I want to visit the ocean," she said, listening to the shell.

"One day Kiddo, I'll take you there."

Ana came down the stairs fixing her earring.

"So tell me again, why did you get fired from the diner?"

"I called in sick Tuesday night because I missed my flight and then I was late for my next shift because the flight, I eventually made, was delayed," I sighed.

"Hmm, it's like a sign," winked my cousin.

"A sign for what? That I should never leave my comfy bubble of New York when everything was just starting to fall into place?" I asked, resting my chin in my hand.

"I'm not saying you need to leave New York permanently. I'm just suggesting that maybe you should follow those pieces that fell into place but also like to travel around," said Ana, warming up a plate in the microwave.

"She's working. It's not like she's exploring the world. I can't keep distracting her while she's dropping records and becoming a super star," I argued, leaving out the fact that Dani offered me a position within her tour. That was a whim though; she couldn't be serious. Could she? As if on cue, my phone rang.

"Hey," I answered, looking at Ana.

"Hey you. How's your day?" asked Dani.

"Um, you know. Same old. How about you?"

"Super busy. I was having a mini freak out and knew your voice would calm me down," she said, taking in a breath.

"Good, I'm glad. I was jus-"

"Is that Dani! I want to talk to her!" shouted Myka.

Dani laughed, "the wee one also helps."

I smiled, "fine. Hold on a second."

I handed the phone to Myka, who had her favorite Dani t-shirt on.

"Hi Dani! When are you coming to visit again?"

I sat listening to her conversation, loving the way Dani was with her.

"Really? Auntie says you're really busy but you're coming back close to here. Maybe since Tana doesn't have a job anymore, we can come to another show!" the six year old, smiled at me.

My eyes were huge as I smiled back at her. I hadn't told Dani I lost my job yet. I was half embarrassed, half scared to disappoint her.

"Will you send them to my house? I promise to take care of them and not lose them," continued Myk.

She squeezed her fists in excitement.

"Okay. Thanks Dani! Bye!" she squealed, practically throwing my phone back at me as she ran around. "Dani's sending tickets for her show!"

"Heeeeey," I said, once again.

"So, you're jobless now?" said Dani, plainly.

"Yes, but I'm looking for stuff. I talked to the producers from my commercial and they said they'd call me. I'll have something soon, don't worry," I said, in what felt like one sentence. I waited for Dani to answer. She was probably thinking about how pathetic I am and wondering how she can get out of this now.

"Or," she said.

"Or?" I repeated.

"Or you could come work on the tour! We just lost a sound tech," said Dani, excitedly.

"Oh, you were serious about that?" I said, stunned.

"Absolutely. We have the next couple days off before our show in Virginia. You could meet up with the other sound guy, learn the boards and be good to go for Saturday night. Not too mention, we'd get to see each other a little more," I could hear her smile grow through the phone as she said the last point.

"Dani, how are you going to swing this? You're just going to give me a job because I'm your girlfriend?" I said, trying to be realistic.

"I have a hand in hiring all positions. We could have you interview for the position? One...on one?"

"Oh my god. You're crazy," I said, fanning myself. Ana looked at me as she set Myka's dinner on the table.

"Let me call you back. I need to talk to Kurt and Rachel about the loft situation."

"Okay, let me know later tonight. Bye Sunshine."

I left Ana's running through my options. It didn't take long because there weren't many. I could go back to the diner and plead with Gunther to give me another shot. But I've never been much of beggar, so I wouldn't know where to start on that one. I could find another minimum wage job in New York and stay close to my family. I could go work on Dani's tour; we could end up spending too much time together and breaking up. Or, I could start working on the tour and work enough hours that we have a normal relationship like other couples.

Kurt and Rachel's faces both reflected my feelings as I rattled off these options I had thought of. As I filled them in, their mouths dropped further and their eyebrows rose higher.

"This is so cute!" said Rachel.

"Yeah, seriously. Your smile is making me gag it's so sweet," agreed Kurt. "Also, I saw that you've been stepping out on your girlfriend pillow with another!"

"Easy, there's enough room for all pillows. It's like a big pillow threesome once I get in there," I smiled.

"Yeah, being hundreds of miles away from your girlfriend, I'm sure it is," said Kurt, behind his hand.

"Well, gotta keep the engines wa-, you know what? I'm not having this conversation with you two," I said, sipping my latte. "What Dani and I have is special."

"Holy hell," gasped Kurt. "You guys haven't done it yet."

I kept drinking my latte, my eyes darting from Kurt to Rachel.

"Santana Lopez. You're like a changed woman. What happened to you?" asked Rachel.

I sighed, "I don't know. She makes me so nervous. I've wanted to," I rolled my eyes, "believe me, I've wanted to. She's just different. I don't want it to be like before, I want it to mean something."

"I never thought I'd hear these words come out of your mouth," said Kurt, flatly.

I shot him a look, "I just didn't want our first time to be next door to one of you dorks. Or rolling down a highway in a tin box."

"Please, that trailer you just spent the last four days in, is way nicer than our entire loft," argued Kurt.

"I just want it to be different," I said, looking into my empty mug.

"Wasn't it like that with you and Brit?" asked Rachel.

"Brit and I were in a completely different league. It wasn't like this," I shifted my mug around.

There was an awkward silence before Kurt whispered to Rachel.

"Least we know where the remote batteries went," I couldn't help but laugh with them.

"Oh my god guys, seriously. We're talking about my job options and which ones are least likely to affect my relationships," I said, trying to get rid of the blush in my cheeks.

"Why wouldn't you go work on the tour? That's an amazing experience to put on a resume. Not too mention your girlfriend being in the trailer down the row from you," argued Kurt.

"Trailer down from me? The crew gets their own trailers?" I asked.

"I would assume. Where do they stay?"

"I don't know; that's one of my concerns though. I don't want to U-Haul in with Dani, like every other couple I know."

"Isn't that what 'you guys' do?" asked Kurt, trying not to laugh.

I rolled my eyes, "this would be a big step for us."

"Well, I think you're over thinking this," said Rachel, getting up for some water. "You like the girl, you need a job and you wouldn't be losing your place in New York because Kurt and I got this. You could come home whenever. So go butterfly, spread those big wings!"

Kurt and I looked at each other. "You're right," I smiled. "Sometimes, you just have to do it instead of thinking about it."

Clive picked me up early the following morning. I dragged my suitcases pass the luggage claim where I met him.

"Good Morning Miss Santana," he said, tipping his hat.

"Good morning Clive. You know you can be normal around me right?"

"I'm trying Miss, but you're early morning 'don't bug me' face is on. Frankly, it's terrifying," he smiled.

I stuck my tongue out at him and helped lift my last bag into the car.

"Very funny."

When I got in, he passed me a latte.

"Buckle up," he said, setting his hat on the dash.

"Aww Clive," I said, smelling the hot goodness in the cup, "how did you know?"

"You make me stop at almost every coffee shop when we drive, Miss. It's not a hard order," he said, nonchalantly.

I smiled to myself and sat back in my seat.

"So when did you guys get in?" I asked.

"I drove the bus and got in yesterday with some of the crew. Dani gets in this morning. She should be landing in twenty minutes. Assuming everything's on time and at five in the morning, I can't see why it wouldn't be." Clive was awfully chipper for four thirty in the morning.

"What's up with you today?" I asked.

"Miss?"

"No one smiles this much, this early," I said, pointing at the smile that was still on his face.

"My grand kids live in Virginia. Once I drop you off safely, Miss Lovato gave me the rest of the weekend off to visit."

"That's exciting. I wish I knew, I could have found another way around so you had more time."

"I'd rather not trust anyone else to do these runs," he said.

"Thanks Clive."

Clive pulled up to the hotel where everyone was staying. There were two shows in Virginia. The first was in Virginia Beach on Saturday, which means I have today and tomorrow until seven to figure these boards out.  
When I walked in, Clive pointed me in the direction of the other sound tech that I'd be sharing the booth with.

"Thanks Clive, have fun with the family." He waved as he headed back out to the car.

"Hi, Cooper?" I asked, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hi, you must be Santana. It's nice to meet you," he said, shaking my hand. "People just call me Coop."

I nodded.

"I was hoping to check in and have a quick nap. Think we could meet here at nine?"

"Sounds good," I smiled and moved up in line to check in.

I was walking to my room and trying to check my room card for the number and tipped over my suitcase.

"Dammit," I mumbled, trying to tip it back and lifting my bags back on my shoulder, while holding my pillow.

"Need some help with that?" Her voice came from nowhere, causing me to drop more bags.

"Dani," I gasped. "You scared the hell out of me."

She smiled and knelt down to help me.

"Hey," she said quietly, leaning over my stuff.

"Hi," I bit my lip, trying to stifle my goofy grin.

I leaned in and kissed her. She traced my jaw with finger before gently biting my lower lip and pulling back. We stood up and she pulled my suitcase to my room. I opened the door and she followed me in.

"What's your day look like?" asked Dani.

"I'm meeting with Coop at nine am."

"Oh good. I haven't been able to sleep without you," she admitted crawling into my bed. She patted the other side and nodded for me to join her. I crawled in on the far side and leaned up on an elbow. Dani was lying on her back, staring up at me.

"Your eyes," I said, and leaned down to kiss each one, "they drive me crazy."

"That's how I feel about your everything," she whispered back, pulling me closer. Our lips met once again and I kissed a trail down her neck.

"Here, use this one," I whispered in her ear, passing her my pillow. "I need it to smell like you again."

"You don't need a pillow when I'm right here," she said, her arms holding me close.

Nine o'clock came fast and I met Coop in the lobby. He had a cup of coffee already in his hand.

"Good morning," he smiled.

"Morning," I tried fronting my best smile, but my unmorningness was shining through I'm sure.

"We got lucky today! Our stuff is already at the arena, nothing is happening there tonight so we'll be able to practice in the venue. It'll be much more practical," he assured me, as we walked the short walk to the stadium.  
We displayed our passes and id's around our necks and walked right down to our platform that was placed across from the stage. I imagined Dani standing up in front of me because the intimidation of the approximate 19,000 seats surrounding me was becoming unbearable.

"Just take a deep breath," said Coop, handing me headphones. "You'll be so busy, you won't even notice them."

I smiled and put my headphones on. Coop started explaining the boards and I felt like I understood everything he was saying. I had fooled around with a couple boards back in the day with Artie during a few of his productions, but a big stadium performance was slightly different.

Coop started dropping beats and playing around with them. We had a good flow going and he let me take the reigns on it and I was ripping it up.

We had been at it for about three hours and Coop had let me in on a couple secrets he had picked up along the way. I had a beat on the speaker and a song lined up when the vocals started playing automatically. My eyes started flying across the board as I tried to figure out what I touched when Coop nudged my arm and pointed to the stage. I looked up and saw Dani with a microphone. I propped my self against the soundboard and took her in for a moment. Coop let me have my moment and then began showing me the adjustments and inflections of the music.

"Nice job guys," said Dani, when the song ended. "Maybe a little more on the ending."

Coop gave her an okay signal and she picked her next song.

"She usually tries to keep these things pretty fun and upbeat," said Coop.

I nodded and she gave him a signal that he okayed and the beat dropped. It was fast, I didn't recognize it at first and then the words came to me.

"Last night was crazy and today it's setting in. Did you really mean it? And could you say it again?"

I tried not to let the smile break my lips. I tried everything, but it's hard to be as professional as Clive, when the words are blasting from headphones around my neck and throughout the entire arena.

The backup singers took over Iyaz's part, while Dani belted out the chorus.

"You're my only shorty."  
"Am I your only shorty?"

The song ended and Dani spoke into the mic, "let's take five guys."

Coop flipped on a playlist and let it spin on its own.

"I'm going to get something to eat. You want anything?" he asked, before stepping down from the platform.

"No, thanks. I'll be up in a minute," I replied, seeing Dani making her way towards me.

"Well?" she asked, excitedly. "That was good. Are you liking it?"

"Yeah, I am. It's totally fun," I answered. I furrowed my brow, "I just...I just have one question."

"Sure, what's up?" she said, leaning her elbows against the desk.

"Am...Am I your..._only_ shorty?" I asked, trying to control my grin.

Dani started to answer and then stopped.

"Wait, are you making fun of one of my songs?" she asked, wearing her half unimpressed Dani look, half trying to hide her laughter.

"No, no. Not at all," I said, still trying not to laugh. "I just want to know if I'm your _only_ shorty."

"Oh my god," she said, laughing. "You're fired. I'm going to fire you," she said, trying to creep around the soundboard desk and grab me. I jumped up and ran off the platform with her chasing me, laughing.

After the break, everyone returned to his or her positions and we ran through another set of songs. Making sure to work on songs with varying tempos and structures.  
I was feeling more and more comfortable by the end but nowhere near ready for a live show. Dani called it a wrap for the day and sent everyone home and Coop started packing up.

"Hey, do you mind if I stay and work something out? I know I'm not leading or anything tomorrow but I want to be as ready as possible."

"Yeah for sure," he nodded, "just pack up the essentials and bring them with you when you're done."

I nodded and sat back until everyone cleared out. Dani reappeared from backstage. She started walking slowly up the steps to my platform.

"Want to grab dinner?" she asked.

"Why, Miss Lovato, did you just ask out an employee?" I teased.

She batted her gorgeous lashes and pretended to fan herself. "Why yes, I think I did." 

I laughed, "I'm actually going to stay and work on this a little," I said, motioning to the huge board in front of me.

"Really? I thought we could have a night together."

"I'm about to put on a live show having used the equipment less than forty eight hours before. It's your show, you'd think you'd be happy about my overtime!" I said, jokingly.

"I guess," she pouted, trying to put on her best pouty lip.

I laughed, "It's not going to work this time."

Dani smiled and gave up. "Okay, will I see you later tonight?"

"I think I can make a pit stop to my room," I winked.

Dani kissed my cheek and headed for the door. I put on a random playlist and practiced, while jamming out alone in a huge arena by myself. It was quite the experience to fill such a space with the sound of your choice. To be in control, it was a different type of power. I was really starting to like it.

I finished practicing with the different functions and was feeling more confident in my abilities and the soundboard. I packed up Cooper's things and headed out. I let security know I was leaving and left onto the main street. I walked back to the hotel, enjoying the night air and headed straight to Dani's room. I knocked on the door and waited for a moment. I heard footsteps and the sliding of her peephole cover. I covered the hole with my hand and heard her laugh.

"Smart ass, that's a safety feature," she said, opening the door.

I stepped in and my breath was taken, "wow, you look amazing."

Dani pulled the collar of her robe closed, "oh really? In my bathrobe?"

"Yes, amazing; in your bathrobe," I said, unable to peel my eyes off her.

Dani walked over to the table and poured us each a glass of wine.

"So? How did the rest of your session go?" she asked.

"Good, I feel better having a second to go through it all on my own. I think you'd be impressed."

"I was impressed when I heard you the first time. It's like you're a natural," commented Dani, with her patented smile.

I smiled back and moved closer, slipping my hand into her robe, feeling the warm skin of her stomach underneath.

"This could be a very good business move for you," I smiled, as I leaned in for a kiss. 

I woke up the next morning to Dani's alarm, "Oh my god. What time is it?" I asked, not having planned to sleep in Dani's room.

"Ten a.m." mumbled Dani.

"Dammit," I muttered.

"Are you late for sound check? Because if you're late, I'm late," murmured Dani, into her pillow.

"No, but I wanted to get there early to lay out some tempos before everyone got there," I replied. I jumped up and kissed her cheek, resetting her alarm. I rushed to my room to shower and get ready. I wanted to be prepared for sound check, to sway Cooper.

There was an hour before the sound check. I rushed back to my room and pulled out my favorite dress. I laid it on the bed and jumped in the shower. I had never gotten ready so fast. I was just putting the finishing touches on my hair when there was a knock on the door.

"One second," I called. I grabbed my key and purse and headed to the door.

"Hey," said Dani, in that cool and calm demeanor as she flicked her eyes up from her phone.

"Hi," I said, looking a little shocked. "I thought you didn't need to be at check until later?"

"I don't. I thought I'd come and see how the new hire is handling," she smiled. "You're going to want a jacket, it's kind of chilly."

"Oh, so no pressure?" I said, stepping back into my room to grab a coat. I looked around at all my over flowing bags. I didn't pack a coat. It's fall and I didn't pack a coat. Then I saw the sleeve of Dani's jacket back from the dry cleaners. I glanced over at her; she was busy on her phone. I slipped it from my suitcase and zipped it up.

"Ready?" I asked, returning to the door. Dani smiled with a raised eyebrow.

"Nice jacket," she said, tugging at the zipper.

"I've been meaning to give it back. But every time I look at, it reminds of the day I met you and I can't seem to give it up," I admitted.

"Looks good on you," she kissed my cheek, "consider it yours."

We were walking to the arena, laughing and holding hands. Dani saw her huge billboard from miles away. It read, 'get your tickets fast, there's only a few left!' in a big added sticker. Once we turned onto the main road before the arena, Dani turned to the opposite side of the road and yelled.

"Hey! Get your tickets to my show! There's going to be neon lights!"

People turned in our direction with confused looks as they waved and took in the sign above us. You could see them mumbling to each other, probably wondering if that was actually Dani Lovato yelling about her show.

"Don't you have a PR team to advertise for you?" I asked, laughing as she waved to people.

"Yeah, but this is way more fun," she said, practically giggling.

We were lucky we were close to the arena as people started to recognize Dani. She signed a couple autographs, before I leaned in and reminded her we didn't have security. She insisted on signing "only a couple more."  
I was glued to her side and kept looking over the group of people that had formed. A fan bumped into her, causing her sunglasses to fall from her head. I bent down and put them on to keep them safe. I could see more people approaching from across the street; I could tell they weren't fans just people wondering what the crowd was.

"Okay, sorry guys. Miss Lovato has to get inside. Thanks for coming out," I said, pulling her inside.  
I was shaking my head and pulling off her glasses once we were past security clearance. I turned to her and was about to say how she would do anything for her fans but she was laughing.

"What?" I asked, looking around to see what I was missing.

"You just look so badass in that leather jacket and my glasses. Maybe you should have been security," she said, still laughing.

"Are you kidding? I'd put you in a bubble and lock you in your room," I said, disagreeing. "I get way to worried something is going to happen to you."

"You're kind of cute when you're all protective, you know."

Sound check went smoothly. Coop was surprised at how much I was able to pick up yesterday and let me lead the rest of the session. There were a couple hours until the show started and we had moved backstage for a quick bite. Dani wanted to have her time to chill out before the show began and we went to hang out in her trailer out back. Fans began to circle the trailer as it got closer to show time and security decided it was time to move back inside. I was given a five-minute heads up before I was supposed to be on the platform. I gave Dani a quick good luck kiss and told her I'd see her in a bit. I was about to be escorted out by security when Dani called me back. I turned and saw her standing there smiling. She winked, "have a good show!"

The nerves that were starting to bubble up quickly receded and I felt better. We got through the first opening acts without a hitch. Coop did most of the beginning stuff, but eventually let me pull my own weight. I was a having an incredible time. Coop and I were jamming in our own headquarters, as we enjoyed the performance on the stage.

Dani made her entrance and like any other show, the crowd went crazy. It felt like our whole platform was vibrating with the energy of the arena. The sound was insane. Dani finished her opening song and was talking to the crowd, who was still going crazy.

"Wow! You guys are amped up!" she yelled. "This is going to be amazing! Let's get another song goi-"

She stopped before finishing her sentence and looked upset. I was looking around to see what was happening and she bent down at the front of the stage.

"Hey Sweetie," she said into her microphone. "What's got you so upset?" The cameras panned to a little girl, I guessed she was about Myka's age. She was crying and rubbing her eyes, as her mom held her.

"Too loud," her mom spoke into a mic that one of the crew had brought out.

"Oh no," said Dani, bringing a hand to her chest. "Hey guys," said Dani, looking around at the crew. "Do we have any of those really tiny and cute headphones?"  
The crew went to work looking right away.

"We're going to find you some earmuffs that'll help your ears," said Dani, looking back at the little girl. "Why don't you come up here and we'll pick a song to sing next."

One of the security guards helped the little girl on stage, "what's your name?" asked Dani.

"Reese," she sniffled.

"Reese? That's a cool name. What's your favorite song?"

I was leaning with my elbows on our desk, watching Dani with her little fan. It made me miss Myka.

"All Night Long," answered Reese. The crew brought out the headphones.

"I love that song," I leaned over to Coop, finding the track. "Little Missy E, who doesn't right?"

"All Night Long? Hmm, it's been awhile on that one," said Dani, looking at the platform.

"Clearly Dani, does not have it on a loop," smiled Coop.

"Will you help me?" Dani asked Reese.

We started the track, hoping to refresh Dani's mind. The bass was booming. We waited for Dani to drop in and when she couldn't recall the words, however, Reese started. The crowd went crazy as Dani held the microphone for her and cheered her on as well. When the crowd got too loud, Reese stopped leaving Dani on her own. I was singing along, hoping to somehow send Dani the words. Coop looked at me.

"What? It's one of my favorites," I shrugged.

He stood, holding a mic out to me, "you need to bail out your girlfriend. Quick."

"W-what? No. No. I can't," I stuttered, pushing the mic away.

Coop remixed the track, catching Dani's attention as she helped Reese back to her mom and he started the track again. I blew out a big breath and took the mic.

"I love the way you're talking. I'm lovin' what you're doing girl," Dani shielded her eyes from the lights and started beaming when she saw me with a mic. "I don't fall easy often. I never had a love like you before."

Dani finally found her bearings and dropped in.

"I like you, put your number in my phone, phone, phone, phone, phone, phone," as she sang, she motioned me up on stage. I shook my head no, but then the audience started to cheer louder. I hung my head and Dani joined in the cheering and encouragement. Security helped me down the stairs of the platform and led me to the stage. Dani took my hand and helped me up while still singing.

"I want you and I want you bad.  
Let's keep the party going all night long," she sang, calling me closer with a finger.

I smiled at her and took the next verse, "I'm on another planet, I'm in another universe.  
You may not understand it, sooner or later baby you will learn."

Dani jumped around while she sang the chorus and got the crowd jumping with her. She was coming up to the rap and she pointed at her back up singers, who both laughed and shook their heads no. She finished the last line and I took another breath and launched into Missy's part.

"We could party all night, wanna spend a night,"

Dani turned back to me as her mouth dropped.

"Will you be my type by the end of the night? We could pillow fight. Your Missy's real nice. Come closer, cause I don't bite. You talking how I like, you play mamma, I play wife."

I tried to keep my hands under control, instead of letting my secret abilities to rhyme a beat shine through. But it turns out while I lay it down; I like to pretend I'm playing the DJ tables too.

"I-I-I'm so alone, no-no-no one is home. I got your, got your na-na-number in my telephone. Wanna wanna wanna be your girl. Wanna wanna wanna be my babe?  
Girl, we can hold hands, write our names in the sands. It's the weekend, don't make plans!"

Dani and her singers broke into her and Timberland's part while I caught my breath and let the adrenaline that was pumping in my ears come back down. Then we sang the final chorus together.

"Wow!" laughed Dani, super stoked. "Who knew our new hottie sound tech could lay it down like that?" she spoke to the crowd.

The audience cheered and loved it. "Reese? What did you think? Does that pass the test?"

Reese put her two thumbs up and the crowd laughed. Dani helped me back down the stairs, kissing my cheek on the bottom step, whispering. "That was hot! Thanks," before running back up the stairs.

"Give it up for Santana Lopez!" she yelled. The crowd roared; I gave them a wave and a smile. Security helped me back up to the platform, where Coop was sitting waiting for me.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, excitedly, handing me my headphones.

"I don't know where that came from but it was insanely fun! Holy damn!" my hands were still shaking as I sat back in my chair.

The rest of the show had just as much energy as the beginning. The crowd was responding to Dani so well and Coop and I were having so much fun on our platform. After the show, security blocked the walkway so Coop and I could make it backstage where we met Dani.

"Oh my god!" she smiled, running up to me. She wrapped her arms around me. "That was incredible! You're amazing!"

"It was so much fun. I think my hands are still shaking," I said, looking at my hands when Dani stepped back.

She took my hands in hers, "we could do that every show. You'd be able to have your time in the spotlight. I know you said you wanted to get back up there!"

"Really?" I said, shocked.

"Absolutely, the crowd loved you! I loved you! I love you! I want you up there with me!"

"Let's go guys! Gotta get to this press conference," interrupted Dani's agent.

"It's happening, right after we deal with this boring press conference," smiled Dani, as she kissed me quick and pulled me with her.

My head was spinning. We walked out the back of the arena and were surrounded by fans. They were screaming Dani's name and she stopped to sign photos and then they started yelling my name. Dani smiled and looked back at me.

"Get in there, this is way better than a silly press conference," she said, pushing me closer. I grabbed a pen and signed my name with 'xo'. Girls just kept appearing with pens, I'm pretty sure I double signed a couple sneakers that got in there. Security was calling us to the van and I was about to walk away when a woman came out of the crowd.

"Can I have an autograph?" she asked pulling down the edge of her pants to reveal pink panties. I could feel my cheeks go pink. Dani turned around in time for my answer.

"Yup…y—yes, you can," I stuttered, taking her pen. I reached out and tried scribbling my name on her tanned skin.

"Hi! Hey there! Watcha doing?" asked Dani, walking over to us. She took the pen that only scribbled out 'Santa' and handed it back to the woman. "Sorry, we have to get going, really important press conference." She said, her hands on my shoulders as she directed us to the van.

"Wait. Dan—I only wrote Santa," I tried.

"Yeah, yeah. She'll be fine. She's got that pen," said Dani, offering her hand up into the van.

"Hold on," I said, smirking and crossing my arms. "You did that on purpose."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Dani calmly, running her hand through her hair. "But we are going to be late for the dedicated press."

"Dani Lovato, I think I just witness your first bout of jealousy," I teased, tapping her nose as I stepped into the van. "Looks good on you."

Dani smiled at me trying to keep that trademark cool, but I saw her look back at the crowd and roll her eyes before getting in.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry, this one took so long! School keeps getting in the way of my writing! I really love all of your suggestions; I'm trying to incorporate as many of them as I can. Sometimes, I've already started the chapter and an idea so it makes it difficult but I'm constantly rereading my reviews so I will continue to try to include them. As I've said before, you guys are the best! Always make me smile! I hope I can do the same for you! Hope you're having a wonderful hump day!**

The crowd was roaring and our security guard, Brent, escorted Coop and I to our platform. He was a good guy; always offered me a hand down, knowing my tall heels proved difficult on stairs. Both Coop and Brent walked on either side of me hoping to avoid 'excited' fans. So far, all the fans had been very supportive; knock on wood. They had added two more shows in Virginia due to the popularity and the fact that we had a couple days off between Virginia and Philadelphia.  
The acts before Dani came out on stage and got the crowd on their feet. I wasn't really able to focus on the atmosphere during this time since Coop had been letting me lead the opening acts. As they took their leave from the stage, my eyes rose to the center stage to watch Dani's entrance. It never failed; she always came out strong. The few shows I had already done, I felt that I was getting better at controlling my urges to run up on stage.  
During the second show, a fan threw something at one of opening girls who had joined Dani on stage again. Security was on the fan in a second and they had moved our girls off stage until the liquid had been cleaned up.  
After that show, several things had happened. I got a surprising lecture from Clive about my safety. 

"If fans are crazy enough to throw something on stage, then pardon me but, they'll sure as shit, knock you on your ass, no problem Miss. You running about all willy nilly, doesn't help anyone. Leave it to the professionals, will you."

Another change was the lock inserted on our platform. It was to be locked from both sides, ensuring that no one could get in uninvited and that I couldn't get out in a crazy fit.  
The last policy was one I added myself, I began wearing heels to walk out, but changed to my Converse once I was hidden behind the desk. I figured that way I could jump the gate in case I needed to get to the stage anyway.  
I decided I wanted to focus on my soundboards and hadn't been joining Dani on stage. That was her thing and I was much happier watching her up there. However, this we had to agree to disagree on.

For the most part, our shows the last couple weeks had gone relatively smooth. I was settling into my groove pretty well and the pay wasn't shabby either. I wired money back to the loft to cover my share, even though Rachel and Kurt refused to accept it at first. I was finally confident in my recent decisions.  
That was, however, before the tabloids got ahold of my first show. Dani had been acting funny all morning, it was the one-day we had off and I asked her to breakfast. She tried to change my mind all morning. She even offered to cook me breakfast in bed, which I had agreed to but backfired when she saw her empty fridge.

"What's gotten into you? Are you still worried I'm going to run amok signing lady parts? I won't, I just want some eggs, no breasts. I promise," I teased her.

She rolled her eyes at me and called Clive.

"Woman. Leave Clive alone, we can walk to the breakfast place and we can hit up that market and maybe refill your fridge on the way," I said, pulling her arm.

"Fine, but no market. I have to get back. Straight to breakfast and home," stressed Dani.

"Okay, okay. Damn," I said, opening the door at the same time there was a knock.

"Here, give these to Dani, she asked for all the copies from the buses," said some groupie with long red hair, pushing copies of magazines into my arms.

"Here! Let me help you with those!" insisted Dani, coming to help right away.

"What's with all the magazines? I thought you don't read them?" I asked, pulling the top copy back for me to read.

"It's...urm...a craft project. Arts and crafts, a new hobby," smiled Dani, reaching for my copy. As she grabbed it, she dropped the others and I bent down to help her.

"It's fine, I got these. Why don't you go ahead and get us a table. I'm sure it'll be packed," mumbled the guitar player.

"Dani, it's eleven. I think we'll b-"

A magazine had fallen to the centerfold and the headline screamed for attention.

'GOLD DIGGER STRIKES IT RICH!"

I felt my jaw fall. A full spread picture of Dani and I on stage together, mic in hand and smiles for days ruined by the nasty words scrolled on top of it.

"I saw it this morning. I was hoping to keep it from you. It's just a trashy magazine that no one reads. Let's go for breakfast," suggested Dani, bending down next to me and reaching for my hand.

"Because I sang with you? Or because you got me my job?" I whispered, scanning through the article.

"Babe, honestly, it doesn't matter. Look at me," tried Dani, pulling the magazine away. "It doesn't matter how you got the job, the fact is you're awesome at it. You had it on lock within days of getting it."

"Yeah, but I look like a gold digging, d-bag," I said, feeling myself get upset.

"San, you really can't pay attention to these things," she said, picking up the rest of the papers and throwing them away. "Look, let's just go to breakfast and forget about it."

"I'm not really hungry anymore," I mumbled, getting up and leaving the trailer. I walked back to the bus I shared with some of the other crewmembers. They had all gone out for the day, leaving the place empty and quiet. I changed and left for a run. I was trying to pay attention to where I was going because I didn't have a clue where I was. I just ran. The more I kept running, the more angry I got with myself for letting these people tell me who I was. I know who I am. I'm a fierce and independent woman from Lima Heights. I ran faster. I don't need anybody but myself. I support myself. Anybody who is anybody gets a job through knowing people. I ran faster. I sang with Dani because it was fun and she's amazing. She knows that. So then why am I so angry? I stopped running and laughed to myself. I think I just had my first diva moment. I stopped to catch my breath and looked around for a street sign. My phone buzzed, it was Clive.

**Text me when you're ready.**

I laughed and messaged him back.

**I don't even know where I am right now. **

I kept walking, hoping to find a street sign or something helpful and when I turned the corner, I saw a black car. Being a little wary, I kept walking towards it and the door opened. Clive emerged and opened the back door.

"Miss," he smiled and tipped his hat.

"As creepy as this is Clive, I'm happy to see you," I smiled, walking to the car. "How'd you know where I was?"

"We've had you tagged while you were sleeping Miss. You didn't notice the chip behind your ear," he asked, closing the door behind me.

I reached for my ears when he turned to get back in. I saw him smirking in the rear view mirror. I hit his shoulder.

"Very funny," I smirked.

"I followed behind you. You got some good speed going there. You must have been pretty deep in your thoughts. You almost ran twelve kilometers in just over an hour," he said, looking impressed.

"I run when I need to clear my head," I said.

"It's a good technique. In this business, you're going to need new shoes in no time," he smiled, looking back at me.

Clive brought me back to my trailer and parked out front. He was walking me to my door, "you should give Dani more credit. She's the only opinion that matters besides your own and she has a pretty good judge of character. She's kept me around all these years."

"Thanks Clive," I said, laughing at his joke and giving him a hug. After I had showered, I went to find Dani. I stopped at her trailer, knowing she most likely wasn't in there. She never stopped; she was always looking to improve something on the tour or meeting fans. I saw Clive sitting not far from me.

"You have eyes on the stars?" I asked, trying to use their bodyguard language. He chuckled and pointed towards the stadium. I headed inside and heard her voice. I walked towards backstage and stood where I used to watch all her shows. Dani was center stage; she was in the middle of 'Believe in Me'. I was leaning against the side with my arms crossed. It didn't matter if every seat was full or if it was to an empty stadium, Dani always gave one hundred percent when she sang one of her songs. The passion that came from her was inspiring. She pushed the ending and finished softly. I clapped for her from where I was leaning. She smiled at me and looked back out to Coop.

"That's good Coop, just wanted to test out the new earpiece. Thank you," she said, pulling it out.

"That was a fitting song," I said, as she walked over.

"Should be. I wrote it when I was dealing with all my frustrations with the media and the business," she leaned up on her toes and kissed me. "You okay?"

Dani took my hand and we walked over to sit on the edge of the stage.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said, holding on to her hand as we sat. "I think I was just frustrated that they're spreading lies about me before people have a chance to meet me. Then I got frustrated with myself for allowing them to define who I am."

"It's a hard balance. Of course you want to know what they're saying, but at the same time, it's hardly ever good in those magazines," replied Dani. "You just have to find a way to deal with it. Unfortunately, yours involves a Clive tail. But you'll get used it," she smiled.

"It was actually comforting to turn around and see him standing there, I had no idea where I was," I laughed at myself.

"Sounds like the run worked then."

I nodded and my stomach growled.

"You still want those eggs?" asked Dani.

"Hell yeah, I do," I said, accepting her hand up.

A week later, we found ourselves in Philadelphia for our next show. I was relaxing in the trailer after sound check with some of the others. We had just under an hour before the show started and a couple radio stations that came to cover the event were interviewing Dani.  
I moved back to my bunk and grabbed my phone. I dialed Ana hoping to check in and talked to Myka.

"Hello?"

"Hey, how are you?" I asked, hearing Ana's voice.

"Good. We're good. We're just relaxing today. Not very often I get a Saturday off," she replied.

"Yeah, you and Myka are just hanging out then?" I asked, excited that I caught them with time to talk.

"Um, actually, she's over at her friends house."

"Oh," I said, feeling the excitement deflate from my system. "Well, that's good. I'm glad things are getting back to normal for her."

"Yeah, so how's the new job?"

"It's good," I answered, not really wanting to talk on the phone anymore. "I love it."

"That's good and how's Dani," questioned Ana.

"She's good. She's loving the tour, so she's pretty happy."

"That's good to hear. Well, I should get going, do something productive. I'll talk to you soon," said Ana.

"Okay, take it easy," I answered. I got off my bunk feeling bummed I didn't get to talk to my niece. I made a mental note to get her a cell phone. I would talk Ana into the idea after.

I started fixing my hair and putting on final touches before I headed into the building. Clive was waiting outside for me and he walked with me to backstage. Dani was just coming back from her interview, most likely looking to sneak away for her moment before she went on stage.

"Hey! Just the person I was looking for," she smiled, wrapping her arm around mine.

"Good, me too," I smiled.

"We have a 'green room'," she air quoted, "so we don't have to play hide and seek with security today." She punched Brent in the arm who was shaking his head at her mention of their pre-show game, but not game.  
Inside the green room, I sat on the couch with my legs across Dani's.

"How were the radio station's?" I asked.

"They were good. It's always fun on the radio, the DJ's usually have so much energy," she replied, looking pensive. "You know, we should do an interview together. That way the world could get to know you, not the magazine you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not? We'll bring you as our sound tech and if we happen to talk about us then it happens," said Dani, getting excited. "I'm going to talk to Grant. Get him to set something up, maybe next time we're in New York."  
There was a knock on the door. Dani clapped her hands excitedly as she got up.

"I forgot I can't sit around until you're on," I moved closer and grabbed the sides of Dani's jacket. "Have a good show," I said against her lips.

"You too. I think it'll be our best show yet," she smiled as I left.

I met Brent outside the door and together we walked out to the platform with Coop. The crowd was chanting Dani's name, we started the beat and they got louder. Tonight's show seemed different, the energy and the vibe. It all felt more positive, the music was pulling me in and I loved every second of it.

Dani was half way through her set list when she stopped after 'Something That We're Not'. She let the crowd die down and I watched as she waved to some of her fans.

"Okay guys!" she said, trying to bring in thousands of people. "You guys are in for a treat today! We have a special guest here to preform with us."

"Who's the guest? I didn't know we had a guest," I said, leaning over to Coop.

Coop smiled, "I hear she's really good."

"So, here to preform Fire Starter with me, please give it up for Myka!"

My breath hitched in my throat as I saw my little niece rise up from below the stage on Dani's elevator. She still had her blue hair and was waving to the audience. Dani knelt down to give her a hug and pointed back towards our platform. Myka finally saw me and waved, excitedly. I waved back, trying to keep my tears in check.

"Hit it!" said Dani.

The music started and Myka started the routine, which Dani followed. They were so cute; thankfully Coop had taken over because I was completely mesmerized by what was happening on the stage. Myka looked like she was having so much fun. Dani stepped to the side as her dancers joined behind Myka and followed the dance. I knew Myk loved to dance but this was blowing my mind. She was six. She was in sync with the rest of the crew and didn't miss a beat. She jumped up and landed on her knees, pointing at me. I pointed back to her while singing along.

"She's really good," yelled Coop. I smiled at him and started dancing as well. I pulled out my phone and took a video when Dani joined back in. Myka stepped to center stage and started a couple break dance moves. When she was done, Dani was singing the last line and they both unbuttoned their shirts to reveal a superman t-shirt underneath. The crowd erupted and I was right with them. I was going crazy. Dani grabbed something from the side and walked Myka to the steps of the stage. She bent down to give her a hug, before handing her something and sending her off with Brent. Dani started her next song as Brent carried Myka through the crowd. She was high fiving as many people as she could while she was escorted to my platform. I opened the gate for her and lifted her into my arms.

"Myka! That was amazing. I'm so proud of you!" I leaned back so I could see her. "Did you have fun?"

"So much fun. Did you see me on Dani's elevator? This is for you," said Myka, handing me a shirt. "We couldn't give it to you before or it would wreck the surprise. Are you surprised?"

I opened the shirt to see it was the same as the superman shirts they were both wearing. I pulled it on over my dress.

"I am shocked! I'm so happy you're here Munchkin!"

I pulled my chair over so Myka could stand on it with Coop and I next to the board. He gave her little headphones that he had somehow kept hidden from me. The rest of the show was amazing. We danced and sang and Myka tried her hand at the soundboard.

After the show, people kept coming to the platform to get pictures with Myka and I. Some people even had her sign photos, eventually Brent put an end to it and walked us back stage. Dani was waiting for us with Kurt and Rachel.

"Guys! What are you doing here?" I said, hugging my friends.

"We came for the show! You all were amazing!" exclaimed Kurt, high fiving Myka.

"Ana couldn't make it with work and we offered so Myka wouldn't miss it. She's been working so hard," said Rachel.

"Hey Superstar!" Dani had her arms raised to give me a hug and dipped last minute to hug Myka.

"Hey!" I said, "what am I?"

"You're Auntie Tana," she said, standing once again. "And also my superstar."

"Mhmm," I grinned.

Apparently Dani had this planned down to a tee. She arranged for us to have dinner after the show and offered for Kurt and Rachel to join us or to attend the after party, which was being held in the city's luxurious Ritz hotel. Kurt and Rachel chose the ladder and agreed to meet us in the morning for breakfast.

During dinner, my sneaky girls explained how they had this planned so well.

"How did you learn the dance?" I asked Myka.

"Dani taught me over Skype. Uncle Kurt learned too, so he could help," answered Myka, sipping her chocolate milk.

"And the tickets?"

"Well, Myka was a little worried that you would remember that I told her I would send the tickets to her house. But it turns out you were preoccupied with your new job offer," smiled Dani, placing her hand over mine on the table.

"Whose idea was it for t-shirts under the shirts? Because this is cool," I said, looking at my shirt.

"That was me!" giggled Myka. "I like being in the sound booth Auntie. That's your new job?"

"It is."

"Lucky," said Myka, chewing her straw.

By the time we finished dinner it was well after midnight. Myka had fallen asleep in the booth and I picked her up while Dani paid the bill. Clive dropped us off at the boardwalk not far from buses, so we could walk home.

"She talked about you every time I called her," said Dani, her hand on the small of my back and the other pulling the hood of Myka's jacket up.

"I was so bummed out today when I couldn't talk to her. I had no idea we were in the same state," I said, kissing her forehead.

"There was one time that you walked into my trailer and we were practicing the dance moves and I had to swat my iPad off the table and I could hear Myka giggling still. I sent you for ginger ale and said my stomach hurt," grinned Dani.

"I had to walk to the store in the pouring rain," I teased.

"I know I felt horrible," she replied, brushing a hair back. "She worked so hard, she wanted to do her best for you."

"She was awesome up there. I had no idea she could dance like that," I said, amazed. "Thank you Dani, for bringing her here."

"I knew you'd be missing her. You went from seeing her every other day, to a couple times a week on the phone," shrugged Dani. "Plus, I was starting to miss her too."

I smiled, "she definitely grows on you."

"Let's get back so she can sleep."

We walked back to the buses while Dani told me more stories about the preparation for this trip. She explained how excited Myka was to sleep in the tour bus and how Myk brought Dani a teddy bear to make her bed more like her bed in LA. We made one of the bunks into Myka's bed and tucked her in.

"She looks just like you even when she's sleeping. You both have that cute habit of hanging your arm over the side of the bed," whispered Dani, as she clicked in the guard for the bunk. "We have tomorrow off so I thought we could go for breakfast, then give everyone the tour of what happens backstage."

"I think Myka would love that," I answered, crawling into bed. Dani crawled in beside me and turned off the light. I felt her roll on her side and fit into me as I wrapped an arm around her. "It seems like Myk's been spending a lot of time of Kurt and Rachel's, doesn't it?"

"Actually, when I talked to her or we practiced, she was usually over there."

"What the hell? That's a lot for them to take on isn't it? I mean, I know Rachel has school and _Funny Girl_ and Kurt had asked for extra shifts at the diner to start his band," I thought aloud.

"Yeah, but they were always around when you and her would hang out. Maybe they miss her too. They consider her just as much a niece," suggested Dani.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I mumbled, still concerned with how busy Ana seemed. "But knowing you're kid was going to preform in front of thousands of people, would you not want to be there for that? I know I would have done anything and I'm only her Aunt, well, her cousin, really."

"When was the last time you spoke to Ana?"

"Today, she said she was at home relaxing. She didn't say much, come to think of it." Dani rolled around so she was facing me.

"Maybe we're just reading too much into it. She is a single mom, help is always wanted," she said, tracing her finger along my jaw.

"Have I told you how happy I am to have her here?" I asked.

"I'm sure you're almost as excited as I am. Do you know how hard it was to not tell you? I kept catching myself, I must have had at least fifty times where it half came out and I had to come up with some crazy line." I laughed at her admission.

"Thank you for doing this," I said, kissing her lips.

"You're welcome," she said against mine.

The next morning, we met up with Kurt and Rachel who also couldn't thank Dani enough for their room at the fancy hotel. They went on and on about how they were treated like royalty. Dani hugged them both and thanked them for their help in the planning and trip. I wanted to sit down with my roommates and discuss Ana, so I was relieved when Dani offered to take Myka to look at the pictures of the celebrities who had also visited the restaurant.

"Be honest guys, what's going on at home?" they looked at each other.

"Well don't take this wrong way, but you were over there all time visiting Myk, I think maybe Ana just didn't realize how much she took you for granted," admitted Kurt.

"It's not that we mind. That's not the case at all and if Ana were going to work while we had Myka, we wouldn't even be bringing this up," said Rachel. "But she's been going out lately, a lot."

"Really?" I asked, wondering what was going on with my cousin. "It's like she didn't get to live her party days because she had Myk, so she's trying to live them out now."

Both my friends nodded in agreement. This would have to be something I sit down and talk to her about. I was worried for Myka, not so much that Ana was going out all the time. She was in her twenties; I didn't blame her for wanting to explore things that came at this point. But she wasn't a normal twenty six year old; she was a mom and had huge responsibilities; one responsibility that I cared for more than anything.

We all walked back to the buses after a pit stop at the park. We must have been a sight considering half the time it was the adults yelling louder than our six year old. Myka was excited for the tour of the stage; she couldn't stop talking about it. We started backstage showing them the green room and the make up chairs. Myka showed me how she sat there to get her make up done before the show yesterday. She said she felt like a princess. We moved on to the stage where Myka asked the drummer, who was tuning his drums, if she could have a try. He handed over his drumsticks right away and even taught her a couple sequences. She had the biggest smile on her face the whole time. We walked down to the platform to explain what all the buttons did and she went through and turned a couple, which I promised Coop would be back to normal before the next show. The most excitement came from Kurt and Rachel when Dani invited them up on stage to sing. It was like watching Myka open her birthday gift; the excitement that was exploding through them was awesome. They were all handed microphones and Myka was going to be there dancer. I propped my phone up on my desk to record it while I was manipulating the soundboard. They decided on Roar by Katy Perry. I set the track up and they started. Surprisingly, it was like they had all sang together before. The harmony between them all was amazing. Feeling nervous, they let Dani take the lead and she belted out the chorus. Myka was doing the same dance as the previous day, only her favorite moves, she was repeating.

When the song ended, everyone was cheering. I think I was cheering the loudest, as I watched all of my favorite people on the same stage. I walked back to the stage to join them.

"Auntie, where do you live?" asked Myka.

"We share the buses out back. Want to see my bunk?" I asked, knowing she'd be happy to see my bunk wall covered in pictures of her, Dani, Kurt and Rachel. We all walked back that way, laughing and listening to Dani explain to Kurt and Rachel about my secret rapping ability. When we reached my bus, there was a letter addressed to me taped on the door. Figuring it was from one of my crewmembers I shared the bus with; I opened it and started reading it out loud.

"Dear Santana, I caught your first show in Virginia. Nice rap job," I laughed, scanning to the bottom for a name before I went on.

"I think you're gorgeous and would do anything for you. I wouldn't even be scared of consequences."

"What are consequences?" asked Myka.

"Myk, why don't you go in and see if you can find Tana's bunk," suggested Rachel, taking the key from my hand and opening the trailer door. Myka took off inside.

"Well Dani, if this is from you, you've definitely started off with the creepy factor," joked Kurt.

Dani shook her head, looking around.

"I've come to every show since, hoping to get inside but not having a lot of luck. I was able to see you at the third show when you left and I even got an autograph. I had it tattooed on my left side, right next to my heart because that's what you've stolen," I read, not really understanding what I was reading.

"Okay guys, I think it's time we step inside because this person may still be hanging around here, hoping to catch a glimpse," said Dani, ushering everyone inside the trailer. She locked the door behind her and pulled out her phone.

"Hi Brent," she said, looking out the back window of the trailer. "We have a bit of a situation and we're going to need backup, stat."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi guys! I'll have to admit last chapter was kind of weak sauce. So I've tried to kick my ass into gear and get you a solid chapter I think you'll enjoy. Please take note of the RATING CHANGE from T to M. I feel its only fair to share the wanky anxiety I felt writing this! I appreciate the honesty in your comments but keep in mind this is my first sexy time piece. I don't know why but actually doing 'it' is much easier than writing about doing 'it'. I'm also going to add my Dash twitter account because if you guys enjoy this chapter, I have a funny feeling you're going to want more 'it' and the funny thoughts that run through my head while I'm writing are quite entertaining. Also, I may or may not write my fanfic while I'm at work, so when you have a second, imagine my brightly red face as I wrote certain scenes sitting in my male dominated work place. I was able to find the humor once the chapter was written! I hope you enjoy. Cheers to the weekend! Dash_55**

We were ushered into Dani's trailer. Brent, Clive and Grant had come running as soon as Dani called. They had bodyguards posted around the perimeter of the bus and beefed up on the grounds as well. They were already doing a search to find the trespasser.

"I want to cancel the rest of the tour," announced Dani.

Everyone's head snapped up and had their eyes glued on the pop star.

"Dani, let's not hastily jump to any conclusions," stated Grant, her agent.

"I'm not having her preform if it's potentially putting her in danger," argued Dani.

"There's ways we can get around that. I think we're all just a little rattled right now. Let's all take a moment, gather our thoughts and we'll meet again in a couple hours," suggested Grant, calmly.  
Dani stormed off to her room where Myka was watching a movie, closing the door behind her.

"Thanks guys," I said, watching Grant, Clive and Brent leave.

"You seem pretty collected considering the circumstances," commented Kurt.

"Yeah, well," I said, motioning to the back room. "One of us has to be."

"She's just worried about your safety," said Rachel.

"I know, but all her fans would be so disappointed if she bailed out now. Not to mentioned how bummed she would be. I can't let her do that for me," I replied.

"What are you thinking your plan will be?" asked Kurt.

"I have no idea yet," I said, looking out the window at all the security. "Whatever it is, I won't be doing it alone anytime soon, that's for sure."

I left Kurt and Rachel in the front room while I went back to see Dani. I opened the door to find her lying on the bed with Myka using her as a pillow.

"Hi Auntie, are you coming to watch too," asked Myk, patting the bed beside her.

"Mhmm," I smiled at her, moving over to the other side. I sat down with my back against the headboard and Myka's feet on my legs. Dani still hadn't taken her eyes off the TV screen. She had her head resting on her arm and a hand scrunched into a fist in front of her. I knew she wasn't watching the movie, it only provided a welcome focal point. I slid my hand across the bed until I could caress the back of her hand with a finger. She didn't budge at first, still holding her gaze away from my eyes. But eventually she opened her fist and entwined our fingers. I saw a silent tear fall from her eye and she looked up at me. I held her hand tighter.

"Hey Myk. Can you do me a favor and go see what Uncle Kurt and Aunt Rachel want for dinner? Tell them it's on me okay," I said, hoping for a moment alone with Dani.

"Okay," she said, jumping off the bed. We were trying to keep her in the dark but a tour bus is only so big.  
I paused the movie on the screen and got up to close the door. I clicked the lock not wanting to be interrupted.

"Dan," I said, lying down in front of her. "It's fine. You say it all the time; fans sometimes get over excited."

"I say that to keep you from running up on stage every five minutes! This is serious San, someone is trying to get to you."

"It's probably Pink Panties wanting the rest of her 'Santa' filled in," I joked, trying to calm her down.

"I'm not joking about this right now," she said getting up.

"Dani," I said, grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving.

"I'm scared Santana. What if this person becomes even more irrational than tattooing your signature to their body? What if something happens to you? What if I'm forced to watch something happen to you?" she finished, standing in front of me.

"We have the best security team, they would do whatever they have to to keep us safe. They're devising a plan right now that will tell us what needs to happen next," I said, hoping to ease the worry in her eyes. "Until then, we just need to keep it together."

"It's not enough," she mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Then I'll go home," I replied. "I'll lay low until this blows over. You can't give up your dreams over this. It's not worth it."

"Dreams change San," she said, standing in front of me, holding my face in her hands. "To me, it's worth it."

She leaned down and kissed me. It was a different kiss, stronger and more definite. I slid my hands up her legs to her waist, pulling her closer to me. She moved so she was straddling my thigh and was gently pushing me back on to the bed. She crawled on top of me, her hand trailing up my bare thigh and pushing the hem of my dress. I felt my heart begin to race.

"Dani," I breathed, knowing if we went further I wouldn't be able to stop.

"I want to," she whispered, next to my ear. Her lips were on my neck and her hand was slowly getting higher. Dani sat up and pulled her shirt off. With her on my lap, I sat up as far as I could.

"Unzip me," I whispered, kissing her chest. Dani moved closer as she reached around to find my zipper. Her tongue found that sensitive spot behind my ear. My hands were all over her soft skin. She pulled my dress down, her eyes devouring me as she did. She moved her leg to straddle my hips, which were raising themselves off the bed to meet her. I slid my hands into her hair and brought our mouths together, our tongues invading. Dani bit my lower lip, as I reached for the button on her jeans. She shifted making it easier. I smiled when I saw her pink panties.

"Don't say it," she smiled, pushing my hair back.

"Wanky," I whispered, pulling her on top of me once again by her bra.

"Santana?" I heard Kurt's voice. We froze, our eyes finding one another's. The only movement was the rise and fall of our chests as we tried to catch our breath.  
"San, the guys are here. They have an update."

"Coming," I managed, not wanting to say more and give away my lack of air.

"Mhmm, I bet you are," mumbled Kurt, "they said they found another letter."

Dani's eyes opened in shock and her breathing went from labored to panicked. I sat up pushing her back on my lap.

"Hey, it'll be fine," I said, my arms around her waist. She held me against her and I listened to her heart racing before she stood up and found her shirt.

"Can you zip me back up please?" I asked, turning around. I felt her hands on my back. She slowly zipped my dress and snaked her arms around my waist. I felt her lips on my bare shoulder and closed my eyes trying to hold on to whatever composure I had left.

"No one was found on the grounds. We're assuming the letter was left for you and someone from the crew taped it to your door not thinking anything of it," explained Brent.

"This, however, was found in the fan mail we picked up at the show," said Clive, holding up another envelope. He read it out loud.

"Santana, seeing you up there on the platform takes my breath away. You look absolutely stunning. I don't know how the tabloids can say anything horrible about you. I want to take you away. It could just be you and I forever, an eternity."

"Hold on, hold on. This sounds like just another fan letter. It may be on the intense side, but it sounds like it's just a fan who wants a piece," I interrupted.

"San, they want to take you away for eternity. Do you not see what that could mean?" asked Dani.

"Yeah, but it could also mean they want to lay out on a beach drinking from coconuts while we live out our lives, happily married with 2.5 kids," I argued.

"She's right," agreed Brent. "If we look at this from a different angle, the letter was taped to the door because it was left for Santana and no one was there to receive it. It's no different than finding this letter in the mail bag."

"Dani, I've never let anyone push me around and I'm sure as hell not going to start now. You gave me an opportunity to show the world that I'm more than some waitress at a diner. Let me prove that I'm a natural when it comes to this industry. Look how fast I picked up those soundboards, I'm Santana freakin' Lopez. Don't make me hide myself away because of some letter." I was watching Dani who didn't seem to be seeing the same side of things that Brent and I were.

"Miss, there's more," said Clive.

"Good timing Clive," I sighed.

Clive read on, "Stop ignoring me. I know what we have is special. When our hands touched after you signed my CD at the show, I felt a spark and I know you felt it too. I saw it in your eyes. We will be together, one way or another."

"Do we know what show they were at yet? We know it was in Virginia, but we signed stuff after all the shows," I asked.

"We're not one hundred percent yet," answered Brent. "We got this letter out of the bag from the second show though, so we're assuming then. But they also talk about your rap, so also the first show. We're still going through the fan mail."

"Well, there's not much we can do about it. I'm going out on that platform tomorrow and we're going to put on an awesome show," I said, still convinced it was just an overly excited fan.

"We'll need to step up security. Move from phase one to phase two at least," suggested Brent.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means the guests will also be included in the search. Not only will their bags be searched, but they will also be swept down with a metal detector wand," said Dani.

"That wasn't happening before?" I asked, a little surprised.

"No, I didn't need to treat my fans like criminals," argued Dani.

"Dani, it's not about the fans. It's about your security and safety. I think phase two should be a permanent change and we'll go from there as the situation escalates," I instructed, finally taking on a more productive role within the team.

"That's what I'm saying," said Dani, standing up. "I don't want this situation to escalate because what happens next."

"We can't think like that. Worst-case scenario won't help anyone. We're being paranoid. Add a pat down to the security check. Hell, that's a highlight for some people!"

"Santana, can you take this seriously?" asked Dani.

"I am. And now I'm going for dinner with my friends and niece who are in town for another night and my beautiful girlfriend," I said, taking her hand. "Please?"

It took a little convincing but I finally talked Dani into going out for dinner with only Clive and Brent. I could see her points but we still had lives to live. After a couple glasses of wine, Dani started to relax a little more with everyone. After the day we had endured, the wine was flowing pretty steadily all night. We got a text from the crew during dinner that they were having a bit of a celebration back at the stadium. Since we were feeling pretty good about ourselves, dancing seemed like a good idea.  
Clive agreed to watch Myka after we tucked her into bed. Even though Clive was the one other person we truest with Myka, Dani must have told him to lock the doors about ninety times before we left. We headed down to the stage where the music was blasting, drinks were flowing and everyone was dancing. Kurt and Rachel met us with more wine and the party was started. It was the first time I had seen Dani actually let herself relax and have fun. She was radiant; her smile never left her face. She was dancing with Kurt and they were almost doubled over with laughter.

"If you swoon any more they're going to make it a new dance move," Rachel whispered in my ear.

"It'll be the next twerk!" I said laughing and spinning her around.

The party was still going strong; Kurt and Rachel were talking to makeup and hair people, looking very excited. Dani was talking to one of her dancers; she was trying to learn one of his moves. I watched for a bit until I downed the rest of my glass and went to her.

"Hey, Brent needs to talk to you a second," I said, taking her hand. She excused herself and followed me.

"Is everything okay? Did they find something else?" she asked as I led her away from the party. I opened the door to green room in the back. There was already a small lamp on in the corner so I didn't bother with lights. I shut the door and leaned against it, turning the lock.

"You look amazing tonight," I said, watching Dani's hair fall around her shoulders as she turned back to face me.

"I guess, considering that look in your eye, everything's fine?" she asked, putting her hands in her jacket pockets and moving closer to me. I bit my lip and gripped the sides of her coat. I leaned in and kissed her, my hands sliding under her jacket. She leaned against me, her hands still in her pockets, pushing me against the door. The kiss deepened and I felt her hand slid up my chest and behind my neck. Her other hand fell on my hip and I could feel my skin start to burn underneath her touch.

"Remind me again why we wanted to wait this long?" I gasped next to her ear, as her mouth found my neck.

"We didn't want it to be like all our other hook ups," she said between kisses.

"It's not right?" I asked, feeling my body react to her closeness.

"I've never hooked up in a green room, have you?" she asked, smiling and looking into my eyes.

"No, I haven't," I said, pushing her jacket off her shoulders. It fell to the floor, followed by Dani's shirt, which she stripped off herself. She pushed her body flush against mine trapping me between her and the door. Her hand slipped behind me and finding the zipper, she pulled it down and the top of my dress fell. Her mouth was back on mine, she pulled my lip into her mouth and my hands tangled in her hair. She pulled me over to the couch, our mouths never leaving one another. Dani sat down and pulled my dress with her so I could step out of it. She slid her hands up the back of my thighs as she sucked the skin that covered my hipbones. I pushed her hair back so I could see her face and she looked up at me with that smile I loved. I pushed her shoulders back and sat down on her lap. I felt her hands play with my panties before sliding underneath. She kissed my collarbone, her hands moving up my back. When they reached my bra, she popped the clasp and let the straps fall down my shoulders. She traced her fingers up my arms to where they lay; she pulled at one playfully letting it gently snap back against my arm. I felt her smile against my lips before she removed the barrier completely. Dani kissed down my neck to my chest and eventually took my nipple in her mouth. She was gentle at first and then I felt her teeth tug at it a little, I couldn't help but arch my back as electricity rushed through my spine. She wrapped an arm around me and pulled me off her lap as she moved us to lie down on the oversized couch. She inched her way on top of me. Tired of her jeans, I reached up and undid her belt before she repositioned her self. I popped her button and she pulled her pants off, adding them to the pile on the floor.

"My god, you're beautiful," I whispered as she straddled my legs pulling her hair up into a hair tie. My hands running up and down the sides of her thighs. She edged back on top of me and traced a finger along on my jaw while her tongue found mine. Her finger continued to trail down my neck before finding my nipple. It was so hard, I almost didn't want her to touch it but I didn't dare stop her. My legs lifted and wrapped around hers pulling our hips closer. A rhythm started that felt so right. Dani held my leg around her waist as her lips crashed against mine over and over. Her hand slid between us. A moan escaped as I felt her first touch. I dragged my nails up her back and heard her groan. Her mouth was back on my neck and moving lower. She bit my shoulder and moved her hand faster and harder. The sensations from both were driving me crazy.

"More," I moaned. Dani looked at me like I'd never ask. It didn't take long after that. I was screaming Dani's name as she rocked my world, over and over.

My legs were still shaking when Dani crawled back up and laid down next to me. I wrapped my arms around her and she kissed my face.

"Hot damn," I gasped, trying to catch my breath. Dani was smirking as she moved a piece of hair back.

"We should get back to the trailer," she whispered, resting her head against mine and drawing circles on my stomach.

"I don't think we're ready to leave yet," I smiled, kissing her gently.

"Oh, we're not done. I just think Clive would like to be able to go to bed at some point," Dani answered, kissing the tips of my fingers. "I'll be much quieter than you."

We left the green room after getting dressed and helping each other's hair look somewhat decent. Most of the party had died down with the exception of a few people relaxing on the stage. Dani and I entered holding hands; she had given me her jacket since my workout left me tinged with sweat.

"Have a goodnight guys!" Dani called out as we left towards backstage. Brent was waiting to walk us out to the trailer.

"Sorry for keeping you out so late Brent," said Dani, "all the dancing, we must have lost track of time."

Brent looked over at us and grinned, "it's no problem."

I grinned back at him, knowing Dani wasn't fooling anyone. We made the short trip to the bus and said goodnight to Brent and Clive. Inside the trailer, Myka was sleeping soundly, her arm hanging through the guard and off the bed. I carefully pushed it back through and stood watching her for a moment. I had really missed her and I wasn't sure how I was going to handle being away for much longer. Dani came inside from talking with Clive and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"She's like a mini you," she whispered. I smiled and pulled Dani into the bedroom.

It felt like Dani and I had just fallen asleep. I was wearing her t-shirt from the night before and she had managed to grab a black sports bra before we collapsed in a tangled mess.

"Auntie Tana?" I heard a little voice. "Auntie Tana?" I heard again, this time in a whisper. I lifted my head off Dani's chest to look at the clock.

"Ugh Kiddo, it's still early," I said, twisting around to spoon into Dani's side to keep her warmth. "Go grab your book and I'll read you some."

Myka smiled and ran to find her book.

"What time is it?" I heard from behind me.

"Seven thirty," I said, feeling Dani's soft hand glide up my hip and pull me closer while she kissed my shoulder. Her touch still made me tremble.

"Good Morning," she whispered against my ear.

"Morning," I smiled, covering her hand with mine and bringing it to my mouth.

"That was incredible last night," grinned Dani, pulling hair off my neck.

"What was incredible last night?" asked Myka, returning with her book.

"Um, her, that...that dance move I learned," stumbled Dani, "I'll have to teach it to you after."

"Cool," said Myka climbing into bed.

"Yeah, so cool Dani," I smirked.

Dani had a couple of meetings to attend that morning, which left me alone with Myka while Kurt and Rachel were shopping and packing.

We had read some books and decided a trip to the park for some swing time sounded good. Brent and Clive followed us down since Dani had her own security team. They stood off to the side but within a safe distance.

"How's Mama been, Munchkin?" I asked, searching for information. I don't know if I was more angry or concerned that Ana hadn't called once to check in with Myka.

"She's always busy," replied Myk, sounding bummed out.

"Busy with work?"

"Yeah, she works a lot but she always goes out with her friends and leaves me with Uncle Kurt and Aunt Rachel. I like it there. There's always someone to read me a book," explained my niece.

"How often do you go to Uncle Kurt and Aunt Rachel's?" I asked, digging a little deeper.

"Almost every night. Uncle Kurt sometimes picks me up from school," said the six-year-old, pumping her legs to get higher.

I jumped off the swing and grabbed my phone, "not too high Bud." I tried calling Ana's phone but no answer. What the hell was going on with her? I didn't want to send Myka home without talking to her mom first. She needed to know the details of our situation with the fan and I also wanted to know Myka was going to be taken care of. I walked back to the swing set and gave Myka a push.

"Auntie Tana, is Dani your girlfriend?" asked Myk.

"Yes, why? What's up?"

"Cause I was wondering, if Dani's your girlfriend, does that mean I can call her Aunt Dani?"

I stopped pushing her. My heart was about to explode, "um, I guess Kiddo. We'll have to ask her, won't we?"

Myka nodded her head, "higher!"

We walked over to the hotel so I could talk to Kurt and Rachel.

"You guys have her every night? This is crazy. It's like a weird episode of Will and Grace," I said to them.

"It's not that bad, she's fun to have around. It's like having a nicer, quieter, friendlier version of you around," teased Kurt. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I have to talk to Dani, but I think I'm going to keep her here with me. I'm pretty sure we have from this Thursday to next Monday off and if that's the case, I'll bring her home myself," I said, looking over at Myka who was coloring. "That way I can talk to Ana and figure out what the hell is going on."

Dani met us at the hotel and we discussed the plan with her.

"What about her school?" she asked.

"Kids miss school all the time. I'm the emergency contact at her school, I'll call to let them know if I can't get ahold of Ana," I replied.

"Well then yeah, that makes the most sense. Especially if you can't get ahold of her, you can't send her home to an empty house," agreed Dani.

Clive drove us all to the airport so we could say goodbye to Kurt and Rachel. They hugged and thanked Dani for their amazing time.

"Make sure you call to check in," Rachel reminded me.

"I will, I promise. Call me when you get home," I replied.

"Are you sure you can handle her out here? We really didn't mind having her at the loft," said Kurt.

"I'm sure. You guys are busy with Funny Girl and your band! It's only for a week, I'm sure Ana will check in," I reassured him.

"I love you guys," I said, as they did their sad walk to security.

"Love yous!" they shouted back.

Dani was holding Myka so she could wave bye. Once they were out of sight, we started walking back to the car.

"So? Does this mean I get to see another show Aunt Dani?" Myka asked, twisting a toy in her hands as Dani carried her. Dani immediately looked at me.

"I think she's trying it out," I said, smiling and pulling on Dani's jacket.

"Yeah Niece Myka, I think you're just in luck," answered Dani.


End file.
